Chief was a very, very special pei in our lives. He was our very first shar pei and, actually, the most trouble for us, but we loved him dearly and were willing to make accommodations for his oddities. He was in good health (except for ears periodically) his whole life until he developed cancer in his belly. He was diagnosed on Father's Day, June 16, 2002, and died a week later on June 23.  Chief was actually our son's dog, but when he moved to his own place, Chief stayed with us. He slept with me every night of his life. He would have been 8 years old on November 11, 2002. We all miss him terribly and will never get over the loss. But we know that he is in no pain and is probably looking down on us making sure we're still doing things the way he would have them done if he were here with us.

A Dog for Jesus
(Where dogs go when they die)

I wish someone had given Jesus a dog.
As loyal and loving as mine.
To sleep by His manger and gaze in His eyes
And adore Him for being divine.

As our Lord grew to manhood His faithful dog,
Would have followed Him all through the day.
While He preached to the crowds and made the sick well
And knelt in the garden to pray.
It is sad to remember that Christ went away.
To face death alone and apart.
With no tender dog following close behind,
To comfort its Master's Heart.
And when Jesus rose on that Easter morn,
How happy He would have been,
As His dog kissed His hand and barked it's delight,
For The One who died for all men.

Well, the Lord has a dog now, I just sent Him mine,
The old pal so dear to me.
And I smile through my tears on this first day alone,
Knowing they're in eternity.
Day after day, the whole day through,
Wherever my road inclined,
Four feet said, "Wait, I'm coming with you!"
And trotted along behind.

Rudyard Kipling