This page is dedicated to the memory of my
partner & friend Cholo
October 20, 1994 - May 24, 2004
I hope that
some of these photos & words convey the true personality
& character of my friend & partner, and how much he was
loved. May he always be remembered just the way he
was.... Some of the photos will take a little while to
load. Be patient, they're worth it.
LuLu with her
Fallen K-9 memorial has a page up there for Cholo's
memory. Thank you LuLu for all you do.... Thanks also
to
TX-TF1 &
Penn State for their remembrance of Cholo along with
the other canines. While Cholo never understood
the magnitude of his service & the people he helped
along the way, he served his country well. May we
always remember our fallen K9's with respect & honor.
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~There is one best place to
bury a good dog...~
If you
bury him in this spot, he will come to you when you
call - come to you over the grim, dim frontier of
death, down the well-remembered path, and to your
side again.
And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel,
they shall not growl at him, nor resent his coming,
for he belongs there.
People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade
of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper -
people who may never really have had a dog.
"The
one best place to bury a good dog
is in
the heart of his master."
By Ben Hur Lampman from the Portland Oregonian Sept.
11, 1925
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It's not too often in life that one is given the gift of having
such a magnificent working dog as Cholo was. He was always up
to a challenge and loved working hard. His pride in his work
was always evident to all who ever had the opportunity to spend
time with him...... much more than I could ever brag on
him, for sure.
Full of
attitude and very much the show-off. He never needed
much supervision when it came to working, since he always
felt that he could do it better and faster than any other
dog.
Always the
clown...
The above photo
always reminds me of the essence of Cholo's personality....
I can just envision him walking up those steps with his
helmet and gear bag in tow. He always loved his work
and being a part of a mission.
And most of all, always honest & trustworthy...
 WELCOME AT
RAINBOW BRIDGE - A 9/11 STORY
(MUST READ THE PREVIOUS RAINBOW BRIDGE POEM TO
UNDERSTAND THIS ONE)
by Alexander Theodore, Bouvier, Fourth Year Resident
On the
morning of September 11, 2001, there was an unprecedented
amount of activity at the Rainbow Bridge. Decisions had to
be made. They had to be made quickly. And, they were.
An issue, not often addressed here, is the fact that many
residents really have no loved one for whom to wait. Think
of the pups who lived and died in hideous puppy mills. No
one on earth loved or protected them. What about the many
who spent unhappy lives tied in backyards? And, the ones who
were abused. Who are they to wait for?
We don't talk about that much up here. We share our loved
ones as they arrive, happy to do so. But we all know there
is nothing like having your very own person who thinks you
are the most special pup in the Heavens.
Last Tuesday morning a request rang out for pups not waiting
for specific persons to volunteer for special assignment...
An eager, curious crowd surged excitedly forward, each pup
wondering what the assignment would be.
They were told by a solemn voice that unexpectedly, all at
once, thousands of loving people had left Earth long before
they were ready.
All the pups, as all pups do, felt the humans' pain deep in
their own hearts. Without hearing more, there was a
clamoring among them - "May I have one to comfort?" "I'll
take two, I have a big heart." "I have been saving kisses
forever."
One after another they came forward begging for assignment.
One cozy-looking fluffy pup hesitantly asked, "Are there any
children coming?
I would be very comforting for a child 'cause I'm soft and
squishy and I always wanted to be hugged." A group of
Dalmatians came forward asking to meet the Firefighters and
be their friends. The larger working breeds offered to greet
the Police Officers and make them feel at home.
Little dogs volunteered to do what they do best, cuddle and
kiss. Dogs who on Earth had never had a kind word or a pat
on the head, stepped forward and said, "I will love any
human who needs love."
Then all the dogs, wherever on Earth they originally came
from, rushed to the Rainbow Bridge and stood waiting,
overflowing with love to share - each tail wagging an
American Flag.
Thank you Susan for
writing this tribute to Cholo & our partnership.
I could
never express how much your words have meant to me.
Joanne
"I've restarted this announcement several
times and have tried to put into words what I want to
say, but nothing really seems right for this beautiful
German Shepherd whom I've had the honor of watching
work through the years. I just received word that Cholo
died last night of unknown causes. Joanne Reitz is his
partner and responded to the World Trade Center with
Cholo in addition to other local disasters in the state
of Texas. I've known them almost as long as I've worked
in search and rescue and they were my colleagues on the
Texas Task Force. Since retiring Cholo from disaster
work Joanne has formed an organization that helps place
potential working dogs in homes that will develop them
as disaster dogs or with law enforcement in order to
continue doing good things in the community.
When I think of Cholo I think of both him
and Joanne as they had that special relationship that so
many attempt to achieve, but so few accomplish. They
were a partnership...they read each other...understood
each other... and responded to one another in a way
that only true partners can. Their path was a
journey...a journey to making life better. I've never
met a more giving person than Joanne. She never changed
in all the years I've known her...even in the face of
adversity. Her outlook on life is what made her put
everything into her relationship with Cholo. Her
loyalty to the Task Force and what it stood for made her
work hard to achieve success with Cholo and to reach the
goal of FEMA certification. During her journey with him
she changed and grew as a person. Cholo taught Joanne
so much about life and what it means. In death he is
now teaching her how to live and how to carry on what
they started so long ago together.
We
laughed today remembering some of Cholo's
antics...tearing a watermelon off a vine thinking it was
a ball...collecting all the toys in the house and
putting them under the bed...chastising the other dogs
for doing something stupid...and always the loyal
one...sleeping with his partner...watching out for her.
Cholo is a father...yes he has a litter on the ground
right now and several handlers are waiting to pick their
new partner from this litter. Even in death Cholo has
left his legacy...and I hope a few of his babies will be
a new disaster dogs.
Joanne
signs her emails with this...."the soul's path is a
journey towards home"...somehow I think there is hidden
meaning in that. We all search for the perfect
journey...the one that will achieve fulfillment in
life. What we never realize is that life itself is a
journey...one that is filled with mystery...with
pain...with surprise...yet fulfilling...and yes it DOES
lead to home. I hope with Cholo's legacy we each
realize that what we do is very important in SAR. We're
all in this because we want to do some good in the world
and we want to make a change. I can't even begin to
express how wonderful Cholo was and what a personality
he had. I have always had an admiration for
Shepherds and always will. Their presence is one of
dignity and loyalty. I've begun to realize that their
handlers are very much like them...Joanne expressed
dignity and loyalty to her cause. May we all be so
fortunate to have such a magnificent partner and may we
all be so blessed to be steered down the right path. My
hat is off to this team and my sincere condolences to
Joanne for her loss of such an incredible dog."
Susan
Martinez May 25, 2004
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