Obituary for Chelo (Cielo) Hutchinson
Chelo (Cielo)
August 2006 - July 27, 2021
Our devoted and beloved Chelo crossed the Rainbow Bridge on July 27th leaving our hearts broken and numb. Travis’ best friend waited--weak and disoriented, for him to come home that afternoon to say “goodbye”. Their bond could not be broken at first sight and even looking at death’s door.
Chelo was a high energy dog. Early on she accompanied him on his duties as deputy process server and ultimately, his Campaign Manager for Sheriff. Her picture graced the sides of his truck or looking out the window. Onlookers would say, “There she is!” She likely helped win the campaign for him!
Chelo was found at the Care Center parking lot 12 years ago; exhausted and in heat stroke mode. Carole ran out picked her up and revived her with the help of her nurses. No collar, skinny, but energetic. After all, she was part Jack Russell! For two weeks we tried to find the owner and eventually located them only a neighborhood away. Sadly, we had to give her up, but the best side of the story is we got her back a couple weeks later. I guess they were smitten with the letter we wrote about “While I Was on Vacation” and included a clause that “If EVER…” She jumped in Travis’ truck and never looked back!!
Her main love, beside Travis, was her red ball that she was obsessed about. Every day- all day! She sometimes reminded us of a seal holding the ball on her nose. Always a loud but fun situation to watch. We supplemented the fenced-in yard with an invisible fence, but it was not needed as Travis worked with her and she never left the perimeter. She did however just jump the 4 ft fence when she tired.
Travis named her Chelo, but her real name is Cielo; Spanish for “sky/heaven.” She truly was from heaven and a God-send companion. Chelo was too active to be a therapy dog and really was not a petting dog. As a guard dog, she backed down from nothing; as a toy inspector, she made sure all toys were safe and moved properly; and every bag that came into the house had to be smelled for contraband (treats or toys). But her eyes were always looking for Travis. Somehow, she always knew he was about at the driveway. Going for rides was her alone time with Travis and it did not matter if it was down the driveway or a hundred miles! She was with her best friend. Her only dislike was delivery trucks. She could spot them a mile away or around a corner. They always got a tongue lashing. Chelo was clearly a dog that was a leader. She helped train Carole’s rescue dogs to be dogs over the years. Thank you, Chelo.
We knew that she had a heart murmur, so any surgeries were out of the question except for a couple of teeth. When she seriously injured her ligament, the ball playing had to stop. It seemed that is when we noticed she started to age quickly. What magic did that ball have for her? One month away from turning fifteen we could see a fast decline. We are grateful to Dr. Mark Yacaparo for giving us three extra months with her. We cried everyday watching her try her best to stay vibrant, but her heart just gave away. She was waiting for Travis to come home and had a heart attack right in front of him that afternoon. Tough. Thanks to Dr. Cantrell for coming back to the Office to ease her suffering but it did nothing for us, naturally. Chelo, (Cielo) will always be in our hearts as there are too many memories to forget.
It was a clear decision to contact Unforgettable Tails at Custer Funeral Home to help us deal with the emotions and proper caring services for our Chelo. What a wonderful service to man’s best friend…even last viewing with tagging. That helped us get some closure and we truly thank them.
August 2006 - July 27, 2021
Our devoted and beloved Chelo crossed the Rainbow Bridge on July 27th leaving our hearts broken and numb. Travis’ best friend waited--weak and disoriented, for him to come home that afternoon to say “goodbye”. Their bond could not be broken at first sight and even looking at death’s door.
Chelo was a high energy dog. Early on she accompanied him on his duties as deputy process server and ultimately, his Campaign Manager for Sheriff. Her picture graced the sides of his truck or looking out the window. Onlookers would say, “There she is!” She likely helped win the campaign for him!
Chelo was found at the Care Center parking lot 12 years ago; exhausted and in heat stroke mode. Carole ran out picked her up and revived her with the help of her nurses. No collar, skinny, but energetic. After all, she was part Jack Russell! For two weeks we tried to find the owner and eventually located them only a neighborhood away. Sadly, we had to give her up, but the best side of the story is we got her back a couple weeks later. I guess they were smitten with the letter we wrote about “While I Was on Vacation” and included a clause that “If EVER…” She jumped in Travis’ truck and never looked back!!
Her main love, beside Travis, was her red ball that she was obsessed about. Every day- all day! She sometimes reminded us of a seal holding the ball on her nose. Always a loud but fun situation to watch. We supplemented the fenced-in yard with an invisible fence, but it was not needed as Travis worked with her and she never left the perimeter. She did however just jump the 4 ft fence when she tired.
Travis named her Chelo, but her real name is Cielo; Spanish for “sky/heaven.” She truly was from heaven and a God-send companion. Chelo was too active to be a therapy dog and really was not a petting dog. As a guard dog, she backed down from nothing; as a toy inspector, she made sure all toys were safe and moved properly; and every bag that came into the house had to be smelled for contraband (treats or toys). But her eyes were always looking for Travis. Somehow, she always knew he was about at the driveway. Going for rides was her alone time with Travis and it did not matter if it was down the driveway or a hundred miles! She was with her best friend. Her only dislike was delivery trucks. She could spot them a mile away or around a corner. They always got a tongue lashing. Chelo was clearly a dog that was a leader. She helped train Carole’s rescue dogs to be dogs over the years. Thank you, Chelo.
We knew that she had a heart murmur, so any surgeries were out of the question except for a couple of teeth. When she seriously injured her ligament, the ball playing had to stop. It seemed that is when we noticed she started to age quickly. What magic did that ball have for her? One month away from turning fifteen we could see a fast decline. We are grateful to Dr. Mark Yacaparo for giving us three extra months with her. We cried everyday watching her try her best to stay vibrant, but her heart just gave away. She was waiting for Travis to come home and had a heart attack right in front of him that afternoon. Tough. Thanks to Dr. Cantrell for coming back to the Office to ease her suffering but it did nothing for us, naturally. Chelo, (Cielo) will always be in our hearts as there are too many memories to forget.
It was a clear decision to contact Unforgettable Tails at Custer Funeral Home to help us deal with the emotions and proper caring services for our Chelo. What a wonderful service to man’s best friend…even last viewing with tagging. That helped us get some closure and we truly thank them.