A Tribute to C.C.
Contributed by Tina Ann Byers
This morning, Chancery Collette Byers, the Yorkie Princess of Highspire, died from Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE) at the age of 13 ½ years.
“C.C.”, as she was known to her friends, was my first Yorkie. C.C. came into my life in early 1995 - just a few short weeks after my Mother died. After I returned to
Manhattan following my Mother’s funeral - I walked past the American Kennel Club on 72nd Street and There She Was – C.C. was the “doggie in the window”! All of C.C.
litter mates were standing up against the glass and begging for attention...but back in the corner, sitting like a confident and regal Princess, was the most
extraordinary, beautiful puppy. When she saw me watching her with approval, she slowly turned her head so I could admire her profile too! Instantly my heart
was Hers! I ran inside to claim this amazing little fluffball, received my first unforgettable Yorkie kisses and snuggles from this composed and elegant tiny
gal and arranged to pick her up the next day.
C.C., a native of Missouri, and I spent her formative years in Manhattan – learning to walk on a lead in Central Park, begging hot dogs from streetside vendors,
saying “Hi!” to the carriage horses and romping at the dogparks. C.C. had no fear of any person or dog and she especially gravitated to the Big Dogs. C.C. and I
walked many evenings on the Upper West Side and down beside the Hudson in Riverside Park. We dressed up and went shopping together in Manhattan’s finest stores –
Macy’s, Saks, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf – usually leaving with nothing but a big grin on our faces!. C.C. always rode in my oversized purse – standing up with her
front paws and tiny head poking above the top. C.C. was so sweet and pretty that we never got thrown out of the stores! Even if we were only “window-shopping” on
Broadway or 5th Avenue, C.C. was always happy so long as she was with me! C.C. was always ready to venture out and greet her adoring public.
Early in her puppyhood, I took C.C. out to Long Island to spend the night on my little sailboat. My boat was still in drydock, but I wanted her to learn the sights
and smells so she could become my “First Mate”. C.C. enjoyed the boat immensely and over the years we spent many happy nights cuddled up together on the forward
berth. On each trip to the boat, I fed the ducks and swans. C.C. would help by grabbing a mouthful of Fritos and flinging them into the water to her waiting
feathered friends. C.C. got so excited when the birds would take “her” Fritos that her happy tail was just a blur! C.C. liked boat rides and always greeted passing
fishermen, fellow sailors and handsome Coast Guard and Naval officers with a happy “Yap!”
People usually mentioned that C.C. and I looked alike. I decided to put that idea to the test, so one time C.C. accompanied me to a swanky and exclusive Manhattan
hair salon. Trying to not crack up laughing, I sternly instructed the colorist to match my hair color to C.C.’s color – a most marvelous, rich blonde - and blithely
held my puppy up for comparison. C.C. sat on my lap during the whole visit soaking up the admiration of staff and customers. Today I think that she was just glad it
was me - and not her - who was getting shampooed and clipped! Without a problem or protest, the colorist finished his flawless work...and then we had a “Mommie and
Puppy” Night Out On the Town to celebrate!
I remember C.C.’s first snowfall – which she witnessed from the 11th floor window of our Manhattan apartment. She couldn’t wait to get down to the dogpark to eat
some of this new “treat”. I didn’t realize at the time, but Yorkies are born to burrow...and I temporarily lost my 4 lb. puppy when she burrowed and disappeared
into a waist-high snowbank. All of my friends surrounded the fenced dogpark and waited for C.C. to eventually pop out of the snowbank. When she emerged, she
looked so joyous and pleased with herself -- and C.C. couldn’t understand why I was having a panic attack! After that, C.C. stayed on her lead in the snow!
When I moved back to West Virginia, C.C. took up residence as the Princess of Highspire. C.C.’s new country surroundings suited her just fine because grass was a
rare commodity in Manhattan – and now she had all she could handle! C.C. discovered the joys of sniffing the flowers, inspecting and managing the garden cats and
strutting her new - albeit smaller and tamer - town streets. C.C. helped me create new flower beds at Highspire by lying in the shade under the wheelbarrow while
I dug up sod. When I was planting, C.C. helped me dig holes and then “watered” my new plantings! After a hard day at “work”, C.C. would occasionally join me at
the Dairy Queen drive-through for a Doggy Dish. If I ever dared to show up without C.C., the counter girls would scold me and send me straight home with a
“take-out” Doggy Dish for hand-delivery to their favorite Yorkie.C.C. enjoyed our frequent trips to the Nursing Home to visit Grandmom.
Our Grandmom and our step-Grandfather, Max, loved C.C. and referred to her as their “Grandpuppy”! I always allowed an extra hour or so for each nursing home trip
because C.C. delighted in cuddling with and kissing every resident she could find. The residents sitting in the hall would perk up instantly when they saw C.C.’s
happy face! C.C. relished sitting on all the residents’ wonderful laps. They never rushed her and always had time to pet her, rub her belly and tell her she was
beautiful. When it was time for the next resident’s turn, C.C. would fake “limp dog” as I lifted her up and carried her on down the line. Grandmom always enjoyed
seeing C.C. and brushing her soft blonde fur. Later in Grandmom’s stay - on days when she wasn’t alert - C.C. would carefully climb into Grandmom’s bed and snuggle
alongside her hip. C.C. would wait patiently and eventually Grandmom’s hand would always reach over to pat C.C. gently on the head. Many times, that was the only
deliberate act that Grandmom would make for that day.
Every January 14 - C.C.’s birthday - is celebrated in my office with C.C.’s Doggie Birthday Party. Sporting a fresh “hairdo”, each year C.C. arrived with
sparkle ribbons tied to her collar and ready to dine on anything that her guests obligingly “dropped” off their plates – and behind my back. Even the spectacle
of the pastel streamers, pretty doggy-shaped cake and colorful balloons did not compare next to the C.C.’s radiant beauty.
C.C. never met a stranger, so when I became involved in Yorkie Rescue, C.C. immediately opened her heart and home to each elderly, special-needs Yorkie I
brought home. She was very secure in our Love, was never jealous of a new arrival, and welcomed each pup as if it was her lifelong friend. C.C. recognized
right away when a dog was blind and would greet them at the door, escort them around the perimeter of the kitchen and show them to their new bed. During
the night, C.C. would offer the new dog all of her toys, and the new dog would awake the next morning trapped inside a heaping ring of C.C.’s stuffed toys –
her most sincere gesture of Welcome. If a special-needs dog was sick, C.C. watched over them intently and would come get me if something was seriously wrong.
C.C. was the perfect nursemaid and hostess and worked hard to instill these values and skills in Tashia, my 4 year old puppy-mill rescue Yorkie and C.C.’s
Lady-In-Waiting. C.C. was healthy all her days, so her acute, unexpected illness and sudden passing was a shock. HGE has no advance warning symptoms, no
known cause and no known cure. C.C. fell ill within hours, received immediate medical care and survived six more days at the hospital. I was blessed to
have one last evening at home with C.C. before her passing. For our last evening together, I carried C.C. through the Gardens and she sniffed the flowers
that she had so carefully planted and “watered” many years before. She laid in my lap under Daddy’s maple tree and we listened to the Main Fountain trickling
and the leaves rustling in the breeze. She said Goodbye to my neighbors who had watched her grow up and who always had a kind word for her. We sat together
in the Summerhouse while I told her one last time of my Forever Love for her, and I carefully instructed her about all the folks waiting to say “Hi!” to her in
Heaven. We spent C.C.’s last night cuddled up together on the floor cushions. During the night, C.C. rested her tiny head on my outstretched arm – just like
she did when she was a baby. I listened to her every heartbeat, felt her tiniest movements and smelled her sweet puppy breath for the last time.
Our Love will survive this agonizing separation because a Love this Long and this Deep does not just die. C.C. has bravely and with Great Dignity gone to the
Bridge, and I know she will come fetch me when my time comes. My arms are emptier, my house is quieter, but my heart is still filled with Love for C.C. – and
I’ll miss C.C. – my First Yorkie, my little Friend, my Dairy Queen Buddy and my First Mate – forever.
With Love from C.C.’s Forever Mommy,
Tina
|