My dearest Rita Lynne Chapman
On December 13, 2018, I said goodbye to one of my closest companions and dearest friends. For 7.5 years I always had my “shadow,” Rita. She would always follow me down the hallway whether I was going to the bedroom or heading to the living room. She would uncomfortably lay in the crease of my legs, forcing me to decide to sleep without comfort or have her be grumpy with me waking her up. Everyday I would come home either from school or work to Miss Rita greeting me with barks of glee! As much as she loved me and deemed me her “one and only” human, she definitely could hodl a grudge. I remember times when I would travel and come home days or weeks later, she would still bark to greet me, but after that she would only lick my leg, nudge my thigh, and then huff and throw a temper tantrum by walking away and acting like she wanted nothing to do with me. Obviously, I forced her to cuddle me and love me, but she always was super annoyed.
When I met her in July 2011, my best friend Brandy Orsini introduced us. Rita (at that time named Ginger) was just a stray walking around on Brandy’s boyfriends land. She was emaciated, scared to have her head touched, and untrusting. However, that first day we met, she came right up to me and began giving me kisses. I knew right away that she was to be my companion on my new excursion from Berkeley County WV to Mason County WV where I would begin college, for a second time, at Marshall University. I remember Brandy telling me that Rita/Ginger and I were meant to be with each other. I like to imagine that Rita had somehow absorbed some of Brandy’s energy and spirit. Without my Rita, I never would have made it through September 11, 2011, when I found out that my dear best friend Brandy had taken her own life. It was because of Rita that I continued to live and try to make it through my daily activities at work and at school.
Rita wasn’t just a dog to me. She was my soulmate. I could read her like a person. I knew when she was annoyed, happy, sad, etc. I know she hated the fact that I brought another dog into the mix in 2013 (her brother Jäger), but she grew to respect my wishes of wanting another pup. Nothing meant more to me than my beautiful, rowdy, and very noisy brindle Black Mouth Cur.
Her passing has left me with an open hole in my heart. I will always grieve for her and wish that I could turn back time to hold her and kiss her just for 5 more minutes.
Rest in Peace Rita
