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| Cheyenne (2016) |
The first time that I wrote about Cheyenne, it was July 2016, when our friends, Susie and Bob from Michigan were visiting the high desert of Albuquerque. Cheyenne, their young Cocker Spaniel, had a quiet dignity about her.
She didn’t jump; she presented herself for a polite sniff, with her warm, brown eyes looking you over.
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| Chloe & Cheyenne, A Cocker Spaniel Convention (2016) |
Our ritual began at dawn. Chloe and Cheyenne walked the trails together, two Spaniels side by side. It was an unusual sighting for sure - especially in the high desert. A "Cocker Spaniel Convention" was called to order, membership of two.
The trail was our sanctuary for a brief moment of time. She walked beside Chloe, there pace perfectly matched in step. Cheyenne's nose working constantly, decoding stories in the dust - a rabbit’s sprint, a coyote’s midnight passage. Sometimes she’d look up at Chloe, as if to say, “Can you believe how good the air smells here?”
She was pure spaniel: merry, deeply attuned to people, her whole-body wagging with a joy.
The news of Cheyenne’s passing came last week.
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| Chloe & Cheyenne (2016) |
Our dogs are brief, brilliant candles in our lives. They are, I am certain, one of God’s most generous gifts: a masterclass in love, loyalty, and living wholly in the present.
So, here’s to you, Cheyenne. To your classic spaniel ears, your fun nature, your steadfast heart. The high desert is a little quieter now. The Convention is adjourned. But the love you gave, the prints you left on our hearts, even in that brief encounter, are forever.
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