Chester was coming to Hawai'i last month, all the way from Atlanta. The 10-year-old pug was going to live with his owner, Lauren Rettberg, who works at The Cheesecake Factory in Waikīkī.

Chester was a fortunate dog. He was almost 5 years old when Rettberg adopted him because Chester's previous owner was moving to an apartment and couldn't care for him anymore. Rett-berg took Chester to live with her while she was attending Georgia Southern University during her junior and senior year.

Besides having the cutest smooshed face, Chester had some funny quirks, which made him even more endearing. He would steal tomatoes and other veggies from the neighbor's garden and then eat them in front of Rettberg, very proud of his bounty. He would tap dance when it was mealtime. "He would have selective hearing. He would only hear what he wanted to hear," said Rettberg.

Chester even starred in a pet commercial in Statesboro (where Georgia Southern is).

When Rettburg and her boyfriend, Frank Wolcott, moved to Honolulu earlier this year, they planned to bring Chester over once they got settled.

On Oct. 29, six days before Rettberg was planning to fly back to Georgia to bring him here, Chester passed away.

His death may have been caused by a mass on his heart, which was diagnosed in early January.

Several days before his death, Rettberg's mother (who Chester was living with in Atlanta) called to say he was acting strange. The vet said his vital signs were failing and he didn't have much longer to live.

Rettberg got her ticket changed so she could fly to Atlanta right away. On her way to the airport, her mother called to say that Chester had passed. Rett-berg wasn't able to say goodbye.

Chester was a very special pug and his family loved him beyond words.

Even though Chester didn't get to live here, I know his spirit will always be with Rettburg.

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with the Advertiser for 19 years, or 133 in dog years. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs