Julou Dogs Chip's Happy Valentine's Day

Chip was new to the Julou Dogs' household. Well, he had been born there 11 years ago, but he left to be with his Mama Betty when he was 8 weeks old, so he hardly remembered the place at all.

Chip's Mama Betty passed away suddenly, but when she got Chip, she had made sure if anything happened to her, he could come back to the home where he was born. So he found himself back in the house after 10 years.

Chip's sister, Ginger, who was also 11 years old, had come back to live with her birth people 6 years before. She smelled familiar to Chip and he was quick to befriend her. His half-brother and half-sister, Caesar and Tsin'tia, also welcomed him into their home and lives. Chip loved his family and his new yard (which was fun to run top speed in,) and his new humans, Daddy Lou and Mama Judy. But sometimes he still missed his Mama Betty.

Chip knew his Mama Betty had passed away because Mama Judy took him to see Betty in the funeral home. But he still missed her. He had loved her very much, as she loved him.

One chilly day in February, which just happened to be Valentine's Day, Chip was out in the yard sniffing and investigating new smells after his brother and sisters had gone back in the house. Sometimes he liked to be in the yard by himself. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Chip saw something flit over the fence into his yard.

Chip, who was very fast, whirled around and pinned the flittering thing to the ground. To his complete amazement, it turned out to be a tiny human with wings. The little human had something called a bow and arrow, and the arrows as had hearts on the end of them instead of arrow points.

The little human blinked up at Chip standing over him and said, "I know who you are! You're Chip who used to live with his Mama Betty!"

Chip cocked his head, hearing his name and his mama's name and waited to hear more. He didn't move from the spot over the little fellow, though.

Cupid, because that is who Chip had caught, said, "I bet you'd like to hear from your Mama Betty, wouldn't you? She's up in Heaven now with God, you know."

Chip didn't know what to think about that but he loved his Mama Betty very much still.

Cupid knew Chip would love to hear her voice again. So Cupid turned on his special phone and dialed Heaven and asked the operator to get Betty so she could say hello to her boy Chip, who missed her.

In a minute, Chip heard his Mama Betty come to the phone and say, "Chip? Is that you? I love you very much and I miss you but I'm up here in Heaven with God and your brothers and sisters from my house. They are all young and very playful now and I play with them every day."

"But Chip," she said, "I still love you very much and I know when it is your time to come here, we will be able to play, too."

Chip barked happily to hear his Mama Betty talking to him. He was so happy to hear her voice again.

"Chip, I want you to be good for your Mama Judy and Daddy Lou, who both love you, too," she told him. "I will see you when you come up here to Heaven with me. Bye-bye, baby & I love you."

Cupid switched off his special phone and turned over to crawl out from under Chip. Turning to look up at Chip, Cupid said, "Now that you've talked to your Mama Betty, you know she is OK and you will see her again. I have to go and deliver other love messages of all kinds today, because it is my day. Well, sort of. It's really St Valentine's Day, but he lets me share it."

With that, Cupid hopped nimbly to the top of the fence and took off into the air with his cute wings. Looking back, he called, "Good-bye Chip! You be a good dog for those who love you."

Just then Mama Judy opened the back door and called, "Chip! Come in and have your lunch!"

Chip took one last look after Cupid, and then bounded in the back door to get that good lunch from his new family.

The end

(c) Judy Ward 1/6/16

*Chip went to be with his Mama Betty on January 17, 2017 after a tumor on his spleen ruptured.