This is the hardest Blog post we’ve ever had to write.
Last week we had to say goodbye to our beloved four legged family member Belle.
We are still getting used to the great void that she has left in her place; she played a huge role in our family and in the ChainStay family. She was a family pet, a best friend, a therapist, a quality control taste tester, a floor cleaner, a security guard, a project supervisor, a training partner in her younger years, a dishwasher, a turbo trainer coach, a broken bone and road rash healer (she tried her best anyways), a bag inspector/tax collector, and probably her biggest role was turning this house from a guest house for cyclists to a HOME for cyclists. She helped many riders after a bad race or a bad block of training to forget their troubles even just for a few moments. We were always so impressed with her ability to notify us when a new guest or visitor had come in; even in a house filled with people. And equally how quickly she recognized returning faces even after a year or more. Most of these roles she had assumed all on her own, and she took them all very seriously. She was an extremely hard worker, but she also knew how to relax better than anyone!
We will forever miss the sound of her clicking claws down the hallways to the bedrooms as she went about her rounds, or her barreling down the stairs, her sitting on our feet while we were cooking in he kitchen, and her sad sad eyes whenever she wanted a taste of what someone had. Mostly we will miss her presence, she helped keep spirits high. Even though she suffered from a very serious neurological condition, she never felt sorry for herself and she rarely missed a beat. We need to strive to live more like Belle did – never letting our weaknesses drag us down.
She truly was a special dog, but she was also so blessed to have had such a special environment to live in. If you think about it how many other dogs get to spend so much quality time with hundreds of awesome people in the way that she got to? When we first broke the news to our Facebook friends and family, we were obviously so devastated, but after awhile more so overwhelmed with the number of wonderful stories about her, and photos that many past guests have shared with us. It was just so nice to see how many people she had left a lasting impression with, and I know you all did the same to her.
She was so loved despite all of her special quirks!
Thank you for everyone who took the time to play with her, go on walks with her, and just hang out with her – you meant the world to Belle. And for anyone that has any awesome Belle photos or stories, we’d love it if you would share them with us in the comments or on our Facebook page!
Love,
Gregg, Holly and Evelyn
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