Chelsea is our Pup of the Week

When Pocket and I made the decision to break away from Doggyspace and start our own social network, called the Tanner Brigade, in 2009, we invited many friends to join us in our experiment to give dogs a place to play and have the Freedom to Bark.

One of our first friends to say yes and set up a profile without having any idea if the site would work or be fun were our brave Yorkie friends Chelsea and Ashton.

We had been friends for two years before we began the Tanner Brigade.  That makes nine years of friendship, longer than many dog’s lifetimes.  While we loved all our friends, we had an extra bond with Chelsea and Ashton because only Yorkies truly understand Yorkies.

We lived quite similar lives.  Our moms were both retired.  We lived in retirement communities.  And one of our packs was illegal.

Both places only allowed one dog per owner on their sites.  Mommy and Chelsea’s mom convinced the management to give them permission for a second dog.  Both mommies would rather be homeless than living without one of their beloved pets

While our mother lives in a modular home, Chelsea’s mom lived in an apartment.  Chelsea and Ashton had their own pee area outside on their porch.  They rarely went out of the building, and their feet hardly ever touched the grass.  The three of them lived together in great happiness high above the Texas plains.

As I wrote, nine years is a long time to know pups.  Many of our original members are with me now, and some are showing signs of their advanced years.  Chelsea was showing signs too.  She was at the vet undergoing treatment when she decided to take a nap.  When Chelsea awoke, she was no longer at the vets.  She was sitting next to me.

“Foley?” she asked jumping up when she saw me.  She felt the soft grass under her paws, the bright sunshine high in the sky.  Then she saw Samantha and Ashley, two of her predecessors whose love still lived in their mom’s heart.

“Oh Foley,” she said, her voice both mournful and hopeful. I put a paw on her shoulder and told her that she had indeed arrived at the Bridge.  Chelsea became very distraught lamenting the loss of long, leisurely days with her mom and sister.  It took me, Samantha, Ashley and several of our other friends to calm her.  We showed her how to watch her mom and brother, both in the water and on the many secret windows located at the Bridge.

Samantha, Ashley, and I took Chelsea to Ladybug’s house to get fitted for her wings.  Her training took longer.  It always does with we little dogs.  A good wind current will blow us off course. But we three experienced Yorkie angels took Chelsea under our wings, taught her some tricks, and soon she was flying high and strong.  Leo told her she was ready to fly into the sunset so she could visit her mom and brother and Tommy Tunes promised to show her the secret warrant to her mom’s dreams.

Samantha, Ashley and I took Chelsea by the paw.  We asked her if she wanted to fly high into the clouds.  She anxiously agreed.  She flew into the clouds and the towards a tower.  At the very top of the tower was an apartment, exactly like the apartment Chelsea had left the day before, except without Ashton and her mom.

“This is your home,” I told Chelsea, whose tail was wagging excitedly.  “You will live here, with Samantha and Ashley, until you are all reunited.  If you get tired of living in the tallest tower, you can come visit me in my little cottage by the river.”  My long time, dear friend gave me a kiss on the nose.  We hugged, and then I flew out the window down towards my cabin.

I turned over my shoulder to see Leo gathering Chelsea and her siblings for a visit to her mom’s house.  While her mom’s house may see empty, it is more full now than ever before.

And I checked the rules.  No humans can limit the amount of Yorkie angels a human can have.