Checotah left this world in the morning of November 22, just two days shy of her fourteenth birthday. She had been diagnosed with a nasal tumor in October. It turned out it was even more aggressive than the whitecoats thought - she woke up with an uncontrollable nosebleed Saturday morning. She had lost at least a half pint of blood before her sneezing awoke me, and her nose continued to bleed even after we administered the medicine to stop it. Our only option was to have her helped to the bridge.
Checotah was born on Thanksgiving day, 11/24/94, in the back of a van outside of Knoxville TN. Our friend Carrie had been on a bookselling tour and found Checotah's mother on a highway in Oklahoma. She couldn't just leave her there, so she picked her up and went to the closest town (Checotah). She found a vet office and asked if anyone had seen the dog and knew who she belonged to. The vet replied that he hadn't, and "by the way, this dog is going to have puppies real soon!"
Carrie really couldn't leave mama dog (now named Jeep) then, so bought a large crate at Walmart and continued on her trip to Knoxville. She helped birth the puppies just before getting to the motel. A plug for the Radisson, here - they understood the situation and did not turn her away.
Checotah was named after the town where Jeep was found - we liked the name so much, we kept it. I found out later that Checotah was the last name of one of the last Creek Indian leaders in Oklahoma, a very famous and wise leader.
Checotah was a wise dog, with a unique independent character. She bonded mostly with my partner and myself, only occasionally joining with our young pup Ranger in a game of keep-away. I think she considered herself human in a way - I know she had a very old and evolved soul. She will be missed.
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