i love you forever my sweet boys ~ dad
“i would like to share the story of my two male famous chihuahuas, tori (black) and hoppi (tan). this summer i lost both of them within two months of each other.
tori was the youngest at 13 yrs old and hoppi was 15 yrs old. i never had enjoyed or loved my time with them more than anything else in my life. an article here at famous chihuahua talks about how chihuahua’s can improve your health. i had a stressful job as a fire captain and whenever i felt the pressures of my job, i would just think about my two boys and the joy i would have when i came home. they helped me forget about the pressures of life and we so enjoyed each other’s company.
only other chihuahua owners can relate to the pain, loneliness and this feeling of emptiness upon such a loss of my precious boys. at my job i am in command of many people and they rely on me to make good decisions in the face of disasters. people’s lives and property being saved is dependent upon the decisions i make, especially in emergencies. i have to stay calm and in control at all times.
with my boys gone, i am the complete opposite. i feel so alone and the house seems to be cold even when the temperature is over 100 degrees. my mental support group is gone. i find myself working in my garage until the late hours of the morning. inside used to be our safe haven. it’s difficult to be in my bedroom, where at the end of the day we would just relax and love each other. i have owned many other dogs, but never have i had two dogs that loved me beyond what i thought was possible.
we have a neighborhood park, where fellow dog lovers would walk and play. everyone knew us there and was so respectful. people with large dogs would wait in their cars until we were done playing. i noticed this and thanked them for their courtesy. a neighbor told me the park is not the same without me and my boys playing there.
tori has had a heart murmur since he was a puppy. it was never a problem until he got older. he would be coughing a little bit too often, so we went to the vet and the doctor said the coughing was caused by his heart pushing up against his esophagus or throat area.
his heart was over three times larger than normal. it grew because his heart valve was leaking and the heart pumped harder to keep up with the oxygen demand of his body. there are no operations for this problem and all we could do was try to keep him comfortable. it was only a few months when tori’s little heart could no longer do the job. i was grateful to be at home when he passed.
hoppi was in fairly good health at the time. his body wasn’t perfect, but he was also 15 yrs old. the moment i brought tori home, the two chihuahuas were inseparable. tori would lie down and let hoppi groom his face. hoppi would lick his eyes, ears and face every day and night. of the thirteen years they were together, i believe they were only separated on two occasions and only for a night or two.
after tori passed away and hoppi finally realized he was gone, hoppi went into a depression that he never came out of, despite my desperate attempts to raise his spirits. the pain from losing tori was far greater than my loss. hoppi then died of a broken heart. please don’t let anyone tell you that this is not possible. i saw the decline of my sweet boy hoppi with my own eyes and couldn’t do a thing about it. this hurts because i feel like i might have missed something and could have tried to save hoppi?
how to put my life back together after losing two thirds of it is a big challenge. my boys loved me so much. we had a great life together laughing, playing, and having fun. i know they want me to be happy again. they know i would never forget them and the love we all shared together, so i’m trying to be strong for them as they are inspiring me to live on.
i read the chihuahua memorials posted on this site and cried for every one of them. i wrote this because i wanted people to know about the incredible love i had for my chihuahuas and the pain experienced with their loss.
there are no rules or book to follow that will help you grieve. i can’t speak about my chihuahuas without shedding tears, but i know someday i will be able to share stories about them with smiles and laughter. this is what they would have wanted for me – to be happy whenever i thought about them.
it is comforting to know that they are together up above. i hope there is a rainbow bridge and that everything about it is true as i do not want them to R.I.P., rather i want them to “play in peace” or make some noise having fun. i miss them so much. i miss loving them and them loving me.
i love you forever my sweet boys…
your daddy ~ rex hirahara of sacramento, california
