Staff Reporter
ONE of the Olive Press’ most popular columnists has sadly hung up his paws.
Eddie the hotel hound passed away at Christmas, after a short illness.
The popular dog wrote a column for the Olive Press for two spells over the last decade, with the help of his owner Andy Chapell, of popular Ronda hotel Molino del Santo.
Here, Chapell writes a tribute to his best furry friend:
So did you have a good Christmas?
Ours was shaping up to be idyllic. We’d spent hours decorating. The daughters’ flights were booked from London, my sister-in-law was suddenly able to get time off work to be here too and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
With a larder full of Christmas fayre and plenty of fine wines in the cellar, what could go wrong?
The dog having a sudden, unexpected, fatal heart attack on December 23 – that’s what messed it all up.
And not just any dog but Eddie Dogg – a special spirit, rescued by Adana from a rubbish bin ten and a half years ago.
A dog who could not have been a bigger part of all of our lives – he’s at the heart of virtually every family photo we’ve taken in a decade. A dog with his own Facebook page – search Eddie Chapell Elkin.
A weighted furry head resting on your thigh, accompanied by a heavy sigh whilst sad eyes meet yours makes anyone feel less alone
A dog who inspired his master to write a series of columns for this esteemed publication with a canine’s view of hotel life.
Hotel guests brought him toys from the UK, staff kept him leftover breakfast sausages, he even wheedled his way to sleeping alongside our bed every night.
He knew exactly how to tease keeping his rubber toys just outside of arm’s reach and then laughing at us as he trotted off, and he had an uncanny sixth sense.
A good friend who had suffered a terrible trauma visited and Ed instantly knew he needed consolation. A daughter going through a difficult time didn’t need to ask to be kept company.
A weighted furry head resting on your thigh, accompanied by a heavy sigh whilst sad eyes meet yours makes anyone feel less alone. Eddie just knew.
Faithful but not very brave, scruffy but not (very) naughty, enthusiastic for anything that meant we’d spend time together, perfectly behaved on long car journeys to Atlantic beaches.
Walking, swimming, playing, dozing – everything we did was enriched having that mutt at our side.
As we drive and walk in our area near Ronda, memories abound. Every track, path, river, stream and mountainside has been experienced together.
Maybe 6000 walks we shared, more than twice that many sticks chased and retrieved. We try to be positive – ‘no dog was ever more adored’ one friend wrote – and we know he had a great life.
But his loss still reduces us to silence two weeks on. We all miss him so much. The evening of his death I sat alone under the stars in the garden and howled.
Eddie might have thought that amusing: master imitates dog.
Christmas presents already bought for and from Eddie were distributed in his memory on the 25th – and we all blubbed again.
Today I discovered some moulted hair behind the bathroom door, I thought I saw him in the garden earlier and now he’s sneaking into my dreams.
Hey ho. We were very lucky to share over ten years with a black and white creature and he suffered little at the end as far as we can tell.
Thanks for everything Ed – for your adopted family you were one mighty special pooch.
