ONE of the Good Ones

She came to him over 2 years ago. They actually met the year before, and she would permeate his mind until that happy day in June 2019.

Chickie - a beagle mix of some sort, was a rescue pup. Born with less than perfect back legs and challenges inside that little body that only God knew, she was a pup that many deemed “hard to handle”. She was adopted twice. And returned twice. It breaks my heart to even think about it.

But God certainly knew what he was doing, and he certainly knew the man that needed that sweet angel to change his life. And he certainly knew the man that would change her life forever. The man that would see the “brokenness” in her and say, “This is the one for me”.

By happenstance and divine intervention - Nick and Chickie met. They actually met where Nick worked at channel 8 in Richmond. Chickie had come to the station as Pet of the Week. There is even a sweet video with the precious memory of their first meeting. It will forever be treasured. 

For both, it was love at first sight! It would take many days for their paths to cross again, but they would, and both of their lives would change forever.

In June 2019, Nick took the leap and adopted Chickie, the sweetest little beagle this side of Kansas. She was the happiest of souls. Although it was a bit hard to run for her, although it was hard to always make great potty choices, Chickie exuded the joy and love she felt. She just did. She would always run to be included in all things and when she was, she would flash that famous smile. She was one of a kind. So much so that she even had one set of eyelashes black, and one set of eyelashes white. She kind of matched her dad. You see, Nick has two different colored eyes. It’s so rare and yet these two, each unique in their way, were brought together. Isn’t God so amazing?

If you have ever loved a dog, you will understand this statement: THERE IS NOTHING ON EARTH LIKE THE LOVE OF A DOG. People can’t give it. Unfortunately, we people are just too conditional. No, it’s dogs that this rarest gift is reserved for: the ability to love and to be loved without question. Without conditions. Without any expectations. Just pure, life-changing, life-giving love. That’s a dog. That was Chickie. Pure love.

Chickie had arrived for Nick at a time when he needed a friend. It’s just so weird how God does that. He knows the perfect timing of our needs and he provides the most beautiful of answers. Brooke, I am sure, feels the same. Olive had arrived when Brooke needed a friend the most. And Olive forever changed her.

If you know my story at all, you know that our sweet doggie Jack saved me. He literally was a savior to me. He saved me from my nasty, self-centered, it’s all about me self and showed me Christ’s way of love - give love and be loved. Jack did that for all of us. Chickie did that for Nick. She arrived when he needed her the most. And along the way, if even for a short season, she taught him and then all of us the most beautiful of things.

Permit me, if I may.

1. She taught us all PURE JOY

She stayed in the Richmond SPCA for nearly two years! Nearly TWO! That is a long time, but I am forever grateful to them for keeping her. Somehow, they knew this joyful pup was meant to change a world and then change many. 

Chickie showed JOY always. She was just plain joyful. If you knew her, you saw it. She would come in from outside and gallop through the foyer just showing the joy of coming inside. We all take that for granted. The joy of a home. A place to call ours. But she didn’t take it for granted. No. She was always happy to run inside. A little joke among our gang was that Chickie loved the indoors way more than the outdoors. LOL But, in reality, she just loved home. And she felt comfortable, and safe, and loved. What a treasure! God had brought her to Nick where he would make a HOME for her for the rest of her life, something she had not yet experienced until him. It’s a precious, precious gift. Thank you, Nick, for giving her that home. That sweet pup was forever filled with love, and joy, and peace because of the home and joy you gave her.

2. She taught us all that BROKEN IS SO BEAUTIFUL

How much is that puppy in the window? The one with the waggly tail? So much of our life is spent seeking perfection. No flaws. No brokenness. No parts that scream - “I am different”. But the first time I met Chickie - and I dare say that all whoever had the privilege to do so - I knew this girl was special. She didn’t care that she was different. She ran, played, and buddied around with the gang. She may have been a step behind. She didn’t care. She was glad - as Nick always puts it - “to just be a part”. Even at doggie daycare, that kid kept up with the crowd, dare I say was even the leader of the crowd. Yes, she sure was.

She was different. You could see it immediately, but what you saw was love. What you saw was goodness, kindness, sweetness. She was beautiful in every way. And those people who returned her because she wasn’t perfect, sure missed out. Boy I am so thankful because she came to our family and we had the joy of her, even for just a short time. Thank you, sweet angel, thank you.

And perhaps we can learn from this pup. Perhaps we all should embrace our scars, our pasts, our flaws, our brokenness and know that we are already fully loved, fully treasured, fully known, fully honored just the way we are. We don’t have to be perfect. We just have to be us, like Chickie was, and then watch how God takes our “different” and changes the world with it.  What a gorgeous picture of sweet Chickie. She changed Nick’s world, and, in turn, she changed ours. What an unexpected blessing.

3. She taught us all to be CONTENT

The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:11, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” When Paul wrote those words, he was in prison. Prison! Yet, he was content. I know it may seem like a stretch, but that is how Chickie was. She was content. The only thing she needed outside of love was water, haha and that girl was thirsty, but other than that the girlie just wanted to be “in the room where it happens”. She was content with just that. She didn’t need constant attention. She didn’t need constant stimuli. She was content to just be.

There is so much to learn in that. She was content in herself. She was content to be part of the family. What a gorgeous gift Nick gave her. A family. A family with a dad, mom, and furry sister, Olive. She was content to just lay on the floor with her peeps around and happily fall asleep dreaming of antlers galore to chew. That’s another story.

Often in her sleep, she would run. Her little paws would go and go. For me, I now picture her completely CONTENT running on streets of gold in heaven, fully healed, fully perfect again, fully knowing that she had done her job this side of heaven. She had made Nick and herself a family. She had become best friends with Nick at a time that he needed her most. She had shown herself to be loyal, and caring, and joyful, and loving every step of the way. A perfect best friend. And she gained one as well. What a beautiful thing.

And the journey for them was not easy. Lots of learning. Lots of patience. Lots of, “let’s try this again.” And lots and lots of walks. Heck, their journey included a back-and-forth cross-country trip from Virginia to Arizona and then back to Virginia when the “two” joined forces with the “two” to create the Conigliaro bunch. She was content to make that trip. She was content to love all of them along the way.

And she was content to graciously smile at her daddy one last time as she passed from his arms to the arms of Jesus. It is such a hauntingly beautiful picture. Of all the times that heaven could have called her home, she waited until the time that she could be with her family one last time. That girl knew she was loved. That girl knew she was special, and that girl knew that her job was complete. Nick said it this way, “God must have needed her more” and I replied, “Yes, she knew you were going to be okay now, so heaven called her home.” The tears fell, for it is a beautiful truth.

Some of us are given long seasons here. Some of us are given short ones. It all comes down to what we do with the time that we are given. Let’s learn this from Chickie - Be CONTENT in who we are to just go out and live life to the fullest. What a gift to her that will be.

4. She taught us all that LIFE IS FRAGILE

In James 4:14 the Bible tells us, “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” This is a tough concept to wrap our heads around. We all want our time on this Earth to be long. But the Lord is clear, only he knows our days. We do not need to be afraid though because he is the one who holds that calendar for each of us and he watches over us each moment. We are in the palm of his hand, so no need to fear.

Our sweet Chickie knew this. If you knew her at all, she embraced this idea to the fullest. Every day for her was a gift. She was constantly smiling. Constantly. As I said before, she was just happy to be included. Wherever Nick went, she went. Whenever Nick moved, she moved with glee to be by him. When she came out of her crate, the door would open and she would bound out in total happiness saying, “I’m so happy to see you. What are we doing next?” When she ran in the yard, she galloped in total happiness, smiling the entire time. It was adorable to see.

This girl lived her life to the fullest. When he adopted her, he changed her life. He brought that sweet girl into a family and everywhere he went, she went. In her short time here, she even got to see the Grand Canyon. What a joy! Her life because of her and because of Nick was lived out so fully.

Life truly is fragile. We do not know our time here, so like Chickie, we should embrace the moments. We should show love. Show goodness. Show kindness. Like she did, let the people see the beautiful, real you and go live abundantly. Don’t just exist. Go out and LIVE. Don’t miss a moment to do that. Chickie did just that and blessed us all the while.

5. She taught us all how to TRUST

TRUST. Only five letters. What a big word and what a hard thing to give, especially when you’ve been hurt.  But what I learned from Chickie is that trusting others is a gift from God. Trust was a huge thing for her. She was deeply scarred from her past. Deeply. She didn’t know if she could trust people because people let her down and not just once. But when she went home with Nick, that girl knew she had found her trusted companion. They were the best of friends. They had a house together in Richmond. The first home she had ever known. And the skittish, little girl grew to trust the man that would love and care for her for the rest of her days. It is a gorgeous, gorgeous truth.

For me, I feel amazingly privileged to have known such a sweet doggie. I feel so privileged that this sweet girl, who was scared and scarred from her past, learned to trust me. She let me pet her. She let me train her. She let me be around her. I loved when she walked over and just wanted a pet on the head. I would always tell her - hi, sweet girl”. She came close because she trusted me. She had learned to trust again, and she was so blessed from it.

She even trusted me enough to stay with me without her dad. I had watched her and her sister, Olive, many times while the kids traveled, including for their honeymoon. Gosh, was I lucky? So lucky to have spent days upon end and weeks upon end with “the girls”, I called them. And Chickie was a big part of those sweet memories. I think if there is anything, I want Chickie to have known from me, it’s love and patience. I loved her and I truly believe she knew.

I miss her dearly. My heart broke when Jesus called her home. There is just no love like a dog’s love. That will forever be true. To me, dogs are really Jesus in fur. They love unconditionally. They trust us with their absolute being. They give goodness, and kindness, and blessing even when we don’t deserve it. It is such a lovely thing. I am forever grateful that God blessed us with dogs and forever grateful that God blessed our family with this one-of-a-kind girl.

Sweet Chickie,

I know you are running on streets of gold, free and healed. Thank you for sharing your life with us. Your sweet spirit, your sweet smile, your joy will forever be missed, but know that you have forever changed our lives. We will never forget you. Until we see you again - ti amiamo.