DeeDee

My beautiful, sweet girl, I am still in shock over losing you. You were the victim
of so many things that went wrong that terrible day. Normally I would have been
out in the yard performing my daily cleanup ritual at that time, but something
delayed me in the house. I am so sorry that you were hurt and I wasn’t there to
keep it from happening. The vet tried so hard to save you and even took you home
with him that night to take care of you. But the Lord had other plans for you.
You were needed in Heaven and you obeyed His call. I will always wonder if the
time and date of your passing has some hidden meaning. You left this world at
exactly the same date (April 6) and time (10 PM) that Mom left us back in 2003.
Was Mama there to meet you when you arrived? Are you safe in her arms now?
She loved you so much when you were both still here with me.

Things have been so hard for us since you left. When “Dad” is calling all the dogs
to give out treats, without thinking he still calls for “Froggie”, the name he gave
you when you were just a pup. When I’m filling up the food dishes for everyone, I
still find myself filling yours as well. I have kept your blanket that you had in
your crate and will never wash it again. Your daughter, April, still looks for you
and is also grief-stricken. How can life ever return to normal without you dancing
and twirling around the way you always did? You were always so happy, and you
always made us so happy.

Things are so different now. Our home isn’t the same without you and all your
crazy antics. There is no doubt in our minds that you were one of a kind, one in a
million. A piece of my heart died with you that terrible day that you left, leaving
an empty space where there was once laughter and joy over the funny things you
did. But you did leave us many things – your love, your loyalty, and most
important – so many beautiful memories of nearly 12 years with you.

On Easter morning your tiny body was laid to rest in our cemetery next to your
daughter, Tabitha, who died at birth back in 2001, and with our other precious
furbabies. As I visit your gravesite day by day, I truly feel that you are not
really there. Your loving spirit and your loyal, beautiful soul are actually buried
deep within my heart.

My precious one, our little “Froggie”, we will love you always and will be reunited
with you one day. Rest in Peace, my baby.

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DeeDee’s story continues below, as originally written.

DeeDee's Story

At my first encounter with a hairless Chinese
Crested, I wasn't sure whether to offer my
sympathy to the owner, laugh, ask what happened
to the dog, or just stare in amazement.

I was visiting our local flea market one
Saturday morning and as I passed one of the
vendor booths, I caught a glimpse of what
resembled a pint-size pony tucked away in a dog
bed behind the vendor's table. This little dog
had a "mane" as one would see on a horse and a
tail to match. It also had little tufts of hair
around the bottom of its feet like one might see
on a draft horse. Other than this, the dog was
totally hairless. The vendor allowed me to touch
her. She felt almost like rubber but she was
very soft. I really couldn't believe what I was
seeing. The following weekend I took John along
to show him what I had seen because he didn't
believe me when I described her to him.

Over the next couple of years I started to look
at books to learn more about the breed. I found
out that it is a breed not easily found unless
through a breeder. I also found out they were
quite costly. John and I discussed it over and
over and over again. Finally in October of 1997,
we made the decision to bring a Chinese Crested
into our home.

I checked the Breeder Directory in Dog Fancy
Magazine. I located a breeder in Sarasota,
Florida, which is about a 2-½ hour drive from
our home. I phoned the breeder and she told me
she had a few pups available and I could see
their pictures on her Internet site. I looked at
the website and immediately noticed the picture
of a 4-month-old puppy that was named
"Aphrodite", which was the name of the Greek
goddess of beauty and love. I knew right away
that she was the one I wanted.

I phoned the breeder on a Sunday night and said
I was mailing her a check as a deposit to hold
Aphrodite until the following weekend when we
could make the drive to Sarasota. We decided
not to wait, however, and we both took a
vacation day to go pick her up on Wednesday.

Aphrodite was already used to her name and was
called "Ditee" by the breeder. To avoid
confusion for her, we renamed her DeeDee.
DeeDee must have appeared very strange to the
other dogs when we arrived back home.
Normally, the others didn't give newcomers much
attention. They must have noticed something
very different about DeeDee and all came over
to check her out. Poor Serena, who was 2 years
old when DeeDee arrived, was actually afraid of
her. They worked it out in a very short time,
however, and became best friends. I believe
they will always remain very close.

We decided we wanted to add another Chinese
Crested to our household in the fall of 2000.
Since the stud fee was less than another puppy
would have cost, I contacted the breeder where
DeeDee came from. We agreed that a proven
stud dog named Timothy would father DeeDee's
pups. The timing was right in February of
2001. Timothy was in Ft. Pierce, Florida, at a
dog show gaining his Championship Title so we
had to make two very long trips to Ft. Pierce to
insure DeeDee's pregnancy which was confirmed
about 5 weeks later. Unfortunately, DeeDee
had a difficult pregnancy and a hard time
delivering the pups. One puppy we named
Tabitha was lost at birth. A second Powderpuff
puppy we named Angel was nearly lost. (See
Angel's Story later on this Website). Only one
hairless puppy we named April (See April's
Story later on this Website) was born healthy.
April actually reminded us of a little football.
DeeDee was spayed along with her two daughters
a few months after the birth.

DeeDee is a very beautiful Chinese Crested.
She may have been able to go a long way in the
show ring, but that is not the kind of life I want
for her. She will always be my baby and remain
by my side as a very sweet and loving little
"pony".