On July 11, 2020 my Apple Head Chihuahua dog passed away. Her name was Agnes. She was nine years old. I found her dead about 10 PM. I was about to go to bed but immediately knew there was no need to go to bed. When I found her dead in the kitchen, I knew that I wouldn't be able to get any sleep so I stayed up most of the night.

I adopted Agnes on August 27, 2013. My ex-friend and I were out looking for me a Chihuahua dog. As she put gas in her Durango, I made a decision. I decided that if the dog I found was a female, I would name it after my late mother. My ex-friend and I went to a woman's house who runs her own rescue service. She only had one Chihuahua and it was a female.

I eventually bought two more Chihuahua dogs. Both dogs are hyper so I keep them in my basement. It wasn't until I bought those dogs that I truly appreciated what a great dog Agnes was. Agnes was one of the sweetest dogs around and she wasn't one bit hyper. After getting my two new dogs, I learned how special Agnes was. Agnes was a bit on the hateful side when I adopted her but she soon grew out of it. When I took Agnes to a vet in 2017, I learned that she had a heart murmur.

Because of a mental disorder, I hear voices from time to time. As an ice cream truck drove through the subdivision where I live, I heard a voice. The voice told me to buy an ice cream and eat it while standing over Agnes's grave. I did so but it tore me up pretty bad. Yes I hear voices sometimes but don't worry. The voices don't tell me to hurt people. I have a mental disorder but I'm not a psycho.

When I adopted Agnes, I got the Holy Grail of dogs. As far as I'm concerned, she was the best dog on the planet. She loved me and the feeling was mutual. She loved to sit in my lap a lot. Some friends invited me to stay overnight at their homes a few times. When I would come home after being gone all night, Agnes would start hopping around and yelping because she was happy to see me.

I usually sleep on my couch and she slept on the couch with me. I decided to sleep in one of the bedrooms. Agnes was in the living room and she started howling at 3 AM. She was unhappy because she couldn't spend the night with her Daddy. After her howling woke me up, I got her and let her sleep in the bed with me the rest of the night.

I have no wife or kids and Agnes was the closest thing I had to a daughter. Her death has broken my heart and I sure do miss her. She was my baby doll and I owned her for almost seven glorious years. I thanked the good Lord for letting me have her. I was a lucky man.

So sorry you lost Agnes.  It's the one down-side to dogs: they don't live as long as we do.

But give your other dogs a proper chance now.  A basement is no place to keep a dog, however hyper.  Give them the time and love you gave Agnes, and you might find you already have your next best friend.

So sorry to hear of your loss, Agnes sounds like a wonderful dog. I will second Jo's advice to give your other dogs a chance too. I have had hyper dogs and what worked for me was exercise. A tired dog is a good dog. Bring them up from the basement and try to get into a regular walking routine with them. Good for you too! If you can't walk them find another way to engage them and get them moving and listening to you. They will help heal your broken heart and they are just waiting for the chance to be your new best friends.

I'm sorry for your loss and your struggles, Randy. We all have our 'things.' I hope this won't be your only post here.

Agnes looks like she was a sweetie.   

I'm with Jo and Heidi about your other dogs. They'd probably love hanging out with you. There's always doggie-school and positive reinforcement training.

Our dog has made it a requirement that we walk every day, rain, or shine. We walk our dog in the riverbed because he loves to swim in the creek and pretends to catch rocks my husband throws upstream and downstream alternately. My husband wears him out every day. I'm sure he'd have behavior issues or be neurotic if he weren't given proper exercise regularly.

The exercise lifts everyone's spirits and we almost always find something interesting. We've caught many gorgeous sunsets while out walking the dog.

Best of luck to you.

~Deb