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The Crocheted Collie
By Sandy Mertens
My mother is into crafts. She takes pride in all her handiwork. She has made dolls, tissue boxes, crocheted ornaments and stuffed animals. She has sold her crafts at shows. Before my daughter was born, my mother sent me a crocheted collie that she had made. I remember her telling me about all the work that had been put into this stuffed dog. The collie was made of white and light brown yarn. Underneath the yarn was a white cotton sewn body filled with stuffing. This toy dog was two feet long and stood more than a foot off the ground. The collie’s legs were just stiff enough that I could bend them in different positions. At times he would sit on the sofa with his legs crossed. Other times, I would sit him by the screen door during the warm weather days. Whenever someone would walk by, they would do a double take. One day, the mailman came up to our door with a package. He said in a surprise voice, “I thought that was a real dog!” We had two dogs at the time. A German Shepherd mix named Chico and an Irish Setter named Wendy. They never bothered this other dog. A dog which never barked and didn’t eat nor needed to be cleaned up after? What else could you ask for? When our daughter Brittany was born; she was accepted instantly by our dogs. When she was a toddler, she never pulled on their tails, slapped them or any of the other things that toddlers sometimes do. Brittany loved both of the dogs. She would often be seen hugging Chico. She gave Wendy hugs as well. But our Irish Setter could only handle so much attention. Chico didn’t seem to mind that there was this toddler hanging on him most of the time. Brittany was not allowed to touch the crocheted collie. He sat on our bed and my daughter would sometimes just go into our room and stare at this toy dog. Somehow she knew that he was more than a toy. I always made sure that he was in the same condition as the day that my mother had given him to me. I knew my mother would have wanted it that way. Even before our daughter was born, Chico had this continuous cold. Every time we took him to the veterinarian we would get the same answer, “Give him some Benadryl and he will be fine.” This continued on for a couple of years. His “colds” were not getting better. Chico was getting worse. It was time for a second opinion. What we found out was that our Shepherd mix had a heart condition. Something he obviously had for a couple of years. He was put on medication that we had to get through the local pharmacy. Our new vet put Chico Mertens on the prescription. There was nothing written down about a family pet. Naturally the pharmacist thought this was for a person. He was relaying all the side effects for me so I could pass it along to Chico. Then I mentioned that Chico was our dog. This pharmacist went ballistic. Saying, “Why would anyone in their right mind buy such an expensive prescription for a dog? A dog!!!” (Obviously this guy was not a pet lover.) After a couple of years on the medicine, it was no longer working. We knew that it was just a matter of time. Brittany knew this too. She was only three. Our daughter distanced herself from Chico. She would say, “I don’t like Chico anymore.” It was her way of dealing with it. When our dog passed away, Brittany was having nightmares and would cry out, “Chico is gone!” It was a hard time for her. This was the time that the trophy crocheted dog, who never really had a name, became Chico. He was the dog that comforted our daughter in the night. He helped smooth away her tears. Sometime afterwards, my mother and her husband came to visit. How could we have destroyed this beautiful stuffed animal and disrespect all the hard work that had been put into it? We tried to explain the situation, but they didn’t get it. We said, “Can’t you see how she loves this toy that you made. This should be the greatest honer of all” The crocheted Chico is still with the family. He is worn out and the washer doesn’t get him looking all that clean. But he has received a great deal of love over the years. When his best friend comes home from college, he is waiting there lying in her bed.
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Very cute story, and so sad about the dog. I used to have a German Shepherd cross, amazing dog, also sadly missed.
I'm with you, having something that sits there looking pretty isn't the ultimate tribute. The well worn doll is the sign of a much loved gift. (if it was pristine how would they know you hadn't left it locked in the closet out of sight all of this time?)
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I glad you agreed with this. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
What a great story! This brought back long lost memories of my childhood pet, an Irish Setter we called 'Bruce'. He was given a poison bait, by some neighbour, after my father locked him in the shed all night for barking at the fireworks on 'Guy Fawkes Day'. Family pets teach kids about how to deal with death and mourning, as well as our responsibilities towards another living creature.
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