Chaco

2014 - 2025

We rescued Chaco from the Kansas Humane Society when he was just an 8-week-old puppy, and he had my heart from the very beginning. He was a classic heeler, always trying to herd us and nip at our feet to keep everyone in line. Blake and I got him while we were dating, and I remember being so nervous about getting a dog together because every dog from my past relationships somehow ended up living with my parents. But Chaco was different. He was mine. Ours. And from that moment on, he was part of everything. I was his protector and he was mine.

He grew up right alongside us. He was there through so my chapters: residency, getting married, fellowship, buying our first house, and bringing home each of our three babies. He went through every move from Kansas to Nebraska, to KC, and then back home to Wichita. He was there through every high and every heartbreak. I leaned on him in some of the hardest moments of my life. He was my constant, my quiet support, the one who never left my side when everything else felt like it was falling apart.

He had such a steady, calming presence, the kind that didn’t need words. Just his eyes on you or the weight of him lying nearby made everything feel okay. He was the smartest, most loyal, and most loving dog I’ve ever known. Before we had kids, he was our baby. He went everywhere with us: road trips, walks, family gatherings you name it and Chaco was there. We sang ridiculous songs with his name in them, and he’d tilt his head like he was trying to figure out why we were so weird. He loved walks and dog parks, wasn’t the best at fetch, and no matter how big he got, he always thought he was a lap dog.

Our lives won’t be the same without him. Losing both Mika and Chaco so close together feels unreal, but losing him feels like losing a piece of my heart and of myself. Chaco wasn’t just part of our family, he was family. My constant through so many years and so many seasons. I’ll never stop missing him, and I’ll forever be grateful that we were so lucky to have him for 11 years and to call him ours.