Elsewhere there have been photos of Mum’s dogs, Porgie, Whisky (mine) and one of Rusty her Jack Russell.
Rusty died and when Mum was visiting her sister in New Zealand Valerie and I went and bought her a dog. We found the puppy being sold in a small house in Tranmere, just outside of Liverpool. We didn’t want to call him that so we decided to name him Chester. A little posher.
When Mum returned we let him into her kitchen at 27 Greenwood Road in Thames Ditton. When she turned around she saw this
He grew up and happily lived with her for about 12 years. When he died my Mum and I went to find a replacement. We went to the country version of the Battersea Dogs Home in Windsor. No luck but so so sad seeing all these hopeful puppies and dogs. Heartbreaking.
I had an alternative and I cannot remember the name but it was a rescue centre where the dogs were housed in fields. We wandered around for ages with a very officious woman who kept tutting as Mum did not find the dog she wanted. Then the woman took her mobile out of her pocket and said something, and a few minutes later a kennel maid started to walk across the field towards us.
It was Chester! The exact same dog as that which had died. No question. Crying Mum picked him up and from that day he was called Chester 2. Eventually, she dropped the 2.
From about 1997 until 2000 he lived at Thames Ditton.
Then one day I drove him and Mum to Heathrow and housed him in a wooden cage and he accompanied us to Valencia. I remember that day as Mum had dressed like Greta Garbo (Jo’s words) and when we waited for the carousel the first thing to appear before the suitcases was his wooden box! With aid of a traveller I lifted it off and I let Chester out. He shook himself and from that moment became a Spanish dog and went on to live ten years in Spain.
Initially of course he was with Mum at Calle Bermudas. When she died he came to live with us at El Garroferet. One strange thing. He was in her house when Mum passed away and the next day I took him back to pick up some things. I realised I had lost him but eventually found he was lying in the car boot. He had never been there before (or since) but obviously did not want to be in the house where his loved mistress had died. Weird.
Here are some photos of him in Spain
We think Jennie and Nicholas came to stay with us because they loved taking Chester up the Montgo. Certainly, after he died they never came again!
Our favourite photo which was our screen saver for many years, now replaced with Angel.
Sadly his back legs went and we had to pick him up to put him in the car to take him for his walks in Los Lagos, and also carry him upstairs to sleep in our bedroom. When it got too bad Antonia the vet came to the house and put him to sleep, and we buried him in one of the top terraces above the house which gave him views over the hills in the distance and the sunsets – he loved being in the sun, much better than the cold and wet of England. This is the on a wall in our Finca on Montgo’s Natural Park where he lies
When he died we sent out an email. The replies show how many people knew and liked him. I read these again in April 2022 and they made me cry!
In 2020 when clearing up files I found his certificate for when he was chipped in 2000 to come and live in Spain. He was recorded then as being 8 on 15th August 2000. He had lived in Spain for nearly 11 years so that would have made him 18. We will never know but whatever he had a far better life than most dogs. God bless him.