The greatest love of all

I will never have another dog like you.

Chilli died this morning. She ate some chicken and rice and then began to have some sort of a seizure. I wrapped her in a blanket and we took a taxi to the vet. The vet said that the kindest thing was to let her go and I believed her. She gave her an injection as I held her in my arms and she was gone. I told her over and over that I loved her and I thanked her for everything she has given me.



I was given Chilli 13 years ago. I had been to New York and seen fantastic little fawn Chihuahua in Puppies & Kittens on Lexington. I wanted one so badly and when I got home my boyfriend at the time got one for me.

Chilli was an unusual creature, she was not a shakey little Chihuahua like some poor Paris Hilton pet. She was forthright, fierce and very fussy about who she wanted to befriend. She stalked the streets of Soho and Covent Garden liked she owned them because as far as she was concerned she did. Chilli drank hot milk in Bar Italia and ate Cakes in Maison Berteaux. She dominated Pheonix Gardens which was one of her daily haunts especially in Winter as Chilli did not really enjoy the rain. Her favourite walk was to St James Park and through to Green Park, all around Mayfair and back through Soho.

She was afraid of no-one, she would stand her ground against any dog no matter how large. She started fights that we were lucky to get out of alive. Chilli had so many friends, she made such a racket as she bounced down the street barking and hopping about. People often told us that they could hear us 5 minutes before we appeared.

Chilli like to travel on the tube and on the bus. She was an urban spirit and basically she just liked to come along. If I was going then she was coming that was her policy.

She started to get sick about a year ago, she had an airway condition common among her breed. She was slowly going into heart failure though of course a heart so strong could never truly fail. Our trips to the vet were more and more frequent. She had a cough that wouldn't go. I knew she was dying at the weekend, I thought she would go on Sunday but she stayed with me an extra day. We had a good day yesterday, I carried her to the park, she played with her friends. She had cuddles from some of her favourite people. She was happy enough but quiet.  I started to think that she might pull through afterall. I am so glad that she died in my arms after all the love she gave me I could not bear for her to die alone and afraid. She did not struggle, she did not take an extra breath she was ready to go and she died in peace.