Just the Two of Us

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A tribute to Quila on Instagram by Deb C (@learneryogi)

It's been 10½ months since we lost Quila, our once teenage rebel fur kid who grew into a spirited, feisty Senior.

And this 3½ month lockdown has been particularly hard without a fur kid to distract and amuse us with her antics, and to bring some joy and lightness into our days.

Although she was almost 16, Quila still had so much life in her. Right up to the day before she was enjoying life, loving her walks, doing ‘zoomies’ in the lounge, begging for part of Hubby's bacon and egg roll, and lobbying for dinner always about an hour prior to when it was due. She'd bounced back from a couple of operations the year before to remove rotten teeth and a tumour under her tongue, and although her breathing was laboured when Tony rushed her to the emergency vet hospital last November, she was still alert and interested when the vets moved her into intensive care and placed her on oxygen. But that night we received a call to say that she'd stopped breathing and her heart beat was slow, and we knew it was time to let her go.

Chi and Quila's first night in 2006

Quila came to us as part of a job lot (what rescue organisations call a ‘bonded pair’). Chi and Quila were found separately wandering the streets of Fairfield. The pound would place small dogs in pens together to alleviate stress and Chi and Quila bonded. Their rescuer hoped that Chi, at six years old, would have a calming influence on 18-month Quila.

2019: Quila found a spot on the couch that wasn't covered by the trellis

That didn't happen! The little bundle of energy kept jumping up onto the furniture so we set up trellis on all the seats. Tony says she was lucky we had Chi otherwise she might not have lasted the two-week probation period. That trellis remained on the seats throughout her entire life and she was still finding ways to get under or around it.

We don't have a lot of photos of Quila when she was young. Most of those that we do have show her fast asleep because it was the only time she was still. Luckily we were using digital cameras because even when she got older there were a lot of blurred photos.

Quila was a little dog with many moods.

Our vet used to say that Quila always looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

2015: A worried look

As she and Chi settled, Quila became more confident and independent. Poor Chi! He was much quieter, preferring to snooze on a bed while Tony or I worked. Sometimes he'd play fight with her but if he tired of the game, she'd persist in trying to get him to play. If she was hangry, she would try to grab his hind leg (he had little scars on his leg from her teeth) or pull on his blankets and drag him halfway across the room.

Chi wasn't an outside dog whereas Quila loved being outside. Not long after we brought them home, Tony was in Melbourne when he received a phone call to say that Quila was in the local bookstore. She had crawled under the fence into next door's yard, wandered up the road, crossed a (very) busy road and ran into the bookstore when something spooked her. Luckily, I was working only 20-30 minutes away. Even after we reinforced the yard to create “Fort Quila” I'd still hide treat balls around the yard to stop her looking for ways into the pool area or out of the yard. She was so inquisitive and adventurous.

2011: The Street Dog

She would spend hours exploring the yard, chasing lizards and trying to keep them out of the house. (I can attest that chasing lizards is exhausting work. Without Quila I spent most of last Summer trying to usher the lizards out of the house.)

Quila was smart. It didn't take long for her to master the pet door and work out the right angle that let her take a running jump to fly through it. Chi always awkwardly stepped through it and it took him a while to work out that the door worked in both directions. When Chi's arthritis worsened, we set up platforms to help him step through and Quila just adjusted her technique. When she got older, we set up the platforms for her but she hated them, preferring to use her front paws to push herself off and tumble through.

2014: Out in the backyard

When Chi passed we did think about getting another fur kid as a companion for Quila but it became so obvious that she loved being an only child. She blossomed with all the attention.

2017: The endangered chihuahuasaurus

We use to say that Chi got by on his looks and Quila by her brains. She was a scruffy chihuahua-terrier mix. She had a line of darker hairs across her tail (what I always called the ‘cut-along-this-line’ mark that might've been used as a guide when dogs' tails were docked), huge ‘bat’ ears (probably that, her size and selective deafness were the main chihuahua traits) and an unruly mop of hair that stood on end when it was dirty.

She'd tolerate me turning her ears inside out and ‘styling’ her hair into mohawks, messy bedheads or braided top knots.

And it wasn't just me. She was a favourite with the vet nurses at Fox Valley and Northside Veterinary Specialists, who all photographed her with mohawks. Even Brother sent us a photo of Quila sporting a new hairdo when she was holidaying with them.

2018: Goldilocks. This bed is just right (I think!).

Quila has always played rough. She left behind filling from tattered (dog) pillows; beheaded toys; and teeth marks on Chi's leg. And after Chi passed, she developed a penchant for Tony's nose.

Quila ended up with four beds! The smaller, fur-lined ones were never comfortable enough for her. She developed this habit of pawing them, grabbing them in her teeth and shaking them, before plopping down on them in a huff. We'd then have to reassemble the bed for her to settle down.

As she got older, she preferred to lie on her bed in the study where Tony had the fan blowing in Summer and the heater going in Winter. A small desk fan became Quila's personal fan on hot Summer nights. And when she could no longer jump onto our bed, a bed was moved into our bedroom in front of the oil heater. Didn't she love that?

Quila never thought of herself as a dog; she was just a four-legged human. As she mellowed, she became more of a lap dog, more willing to accept cuddles and less likely to roam.

She'd give us such a forlorn look when we'd leave her at home that we started to take her with us whenever we could.

2018: Quila and Tony's Aunt

She was welcomed at the care facility where Tony's Aunt lives. The residents' eyes would light up when they saw her and people would come over to chat with us. As the residents in the facility have advanced dementia we had some interesting conversations! Tony's Aunt loves animals and Quila was willing to sit quietly on her lap, share her secrets and accept the occasional chip or biscuit.

2018: Quila and Tony's Mum

Quila also enjoyed her fortnightly trips to see Tony's Mum and Tony's Mum loved seeing her.

When it was time to come home, Quila would shrink away, hide behind Tony's Mum's legs or roll over. Why would she want to leave Grandma's? Grandma always had the air conditioning on, share half her lunch with Quila, and drop tidbits on the floor.

2020: Quila under the table at Mum & Dad's (and not in the kitchen)

It wasn't just Tony's Mum that spoilt her. My Mum spoilt her as well.

Whenever we visited my parents, she recognised the house and the yard, and one of the first things she did every time was check her yard.

At family celebrations, she knew to hang around Mum or the barbecue to ensure that she got a sausage or two.

In her younger years, Quila was restricted to the backyard and kitchen. However, as she's done all her life, she tested the boundaries and somehow found a way to remove them.

Quila developed dynamic airway disease (common in smaller breeds when they get older), and losing weight was part of the management plan. She was staying with my Brother's family (across the road from my parents) and we had her on a strict diet. Guess who came to visit and smuggled treats to her?

2019: Shoalhaven River, Nowra

Although Mitzi and Astra were well-travelled, Chi and Quila have only known the one home. When purchasing bedding for our new fur kids, I bought two portable, collapsible kennels with ideas of dog-friendly holidays. Instead, they ended up holidaying with my parents or with my Brother and Sis-in-Law, and the kennels were used as ‘safe places’ when Chi and Quila got older.

We finally went on our first and only dog-friendly holiday to Berry at the end of 2019, and Quila was the perfect canine travelling companion. We stayed in this quaint, little house with a secure yard for Quila to explore.

Mum and Dad joined us for the first couple of days, which Quila had ham for breakfast from Mum, spent the mornings checking the yard, and joined Mum in the afternoons to snooze in front of the television.

After Mum & Dad returned home, there were lots of walks around Berry, Nowra and Seven Mile Beach. We visited lookouts and dog-friendly cafes—so many new experiences for a little dog. She didn't want to miss out on anything. Every time we got out of the car, she'd sit up and wait to be let out. It took her 2-3 days to recover when we returned home!

This post has been longer (and taken longer to write) than I planned. I keep looking at photos and remembering something else: her love of dirty laundry, her video-bombing my online classes, her expressions, her antics.

Quila could teach us so much about life. She lived every moment to the fullest, open to all experiences, and finding joy in everything she did with us.

There's a huge hole in our lives without her and this lockdown has just shown us how big it is. 😥💔