Chester now Petey

I met my best buddy seven years ago. Petey (“Chester” at the time) was the last dog at AWS while a renovation was going on, but he was one I instantly wanted to adopt. A three-legged dog who never let that fact slow him down, my mom often called him PDQ: “Pretty Darn Quick for a three-legged dog”.

He wasn’t just a speed demon, though. We went for many walks over the years (especially during the pandemic when nothing was open and all we had WERE walks), but he was always content to sit with me, my wife, and our other dog Luna as we lazed on the couch. He was a loyal and loving companion who would follow us from room to room, offer up endless kisses, and howl along with you if you wanted to get him started. He was also a chowhound who was always quick to gobble up food dropped on the floor, and he had a knack for working out how to get more food than he should. One time, we even saw him standing on his one (!) back leg to reach treats that were just out of reach for him.

It just goes to show that he never let his circumstances bring him down. He had every reason to be grouchy–from his lost leg to a history of seizures to an ear that got damaged somehow–but he was always friendly with people and loving to other dogs. Admittedly, he could be a bit standoffish with bigger dogs, but he loved playing with others, especially his best friend Luna. They would wrestle and tussle for a bit, and then he’d end things by giving her kisses. He was sweet like that.

As you can probably tell by my use of the past-tense, Petey is sadly no longer with us. He passed away this past Sunday, at the approximate age of 16. I like to think he lived a good life with us, after all the trauma he must have been through to lose a leg. I KNOW he made my life incalculably better. I miss him a lot. But I’m grateful for AWS for rescuing Petey and giving me the opportunity to have him in my life.

Rest in Peace Petey. I’ll love you forever.