Sybil the Chihuahua
Sybil was born in Bettsville, Ohio on September 23rd 2001 and came into our lives shortly thereafter. I can still remember meeting her, she was clinging to my mother’s shoulder as she emerged from the laundry room at my grandmothers house. She was a lively and energetic puppy and loved attention; however, she mellowed out very quickly with the help of our calm and collected Fox Terrier/Pekinese mix, Sandy. Sybil learned the ropes from Sandy and they enjoyed many years and many adventures together until Sandy’s passing in 2011.
Sybil had many passions, she loved playing with her stuffed toys, some she ripped to shreds, some she groomed as if they were her baby, and others she would fetch. She loved to wrestle with Sandy and Gidget in her younger days. At times she would be fiercely defensive of her miniature bones or puperoni treats. Another one of her past times was relaxing on a lawn chair at Indian Trail Campground in Fitchville, Ohio. But possibly her greatest passion was for walking, a word which would send her into a frenzy when she heard it.
Sybil weighed only 10 pounds, and stood just 10 inches off the ground, but she was strong and determined. She had unmatched speed and could cover the distance of our long driveway in a matter of seconds. Additionally, she also had tremendous endurance, and for a dog that took about 12 steps to my one, she was known to walk up to two miles a day (June 4th 2010 – 2.25 miles). Sybil loved her walks, and was always excited to adventure to new parts of the neighborhood each day.
We lived on a small county road outside of Tiffin, Ohio, and our house was close to an intersection allowing four main options for walks. Sybil would often choose south or east, but became quite intrigued with west as well. She always had her turn around spots and she rarely tired out, or felt compelled to turn back regardless of the weather. She loved to investigate fence posts, mail boxes, and dead animals at times. She made many friends on the trail and always enjoyed stopping at our neighbor’s (Jake and Pat), who had treats waiting for her.
It may not surprise the few readers of this blog that I kept track of Sybil’s walking distances periodically. Though it would be nearly impossible to extrapolate her exact lifetime total mileage, I could venture a guess based on one summer that I meticulously tracked. In the summer of 2010, Sybil and Gidget (the new dog on the block that joined us in the winter of 2008) walked 82.57 miles, which is roughly 28 miles a month. Sybil likely averaged 336 miles per year and maintained a high level of fitness for many years, therefore, I believe that Sybil walked over 4,700 miles in her lifetime.
Sybil’s life cannot be measured in miles, but in the countless memories we shared together. Sybil was a loving sister to both Sandy and Gidget and she was an irreplaceable companion to our family. Sybil lived each day with an adventurous and a loving nature. She will always be in my heart and in my mind and will always be missed.
