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Chester - Pomeranian pooch owned by
public relations executive Chastity Claire "C.C." Babcock (Lauren
Lane) on the sitcom THE NANNY/CBS/1993-99.
Val, Chester and Fran
Chester was the focus of
the episode "Fransom" when a stranger kidnapped Chester while nanny
Fran Fine (Fran Drescher) walked the dog in the the park. But when
C.C. placed a reward for finding Chester (a la the Mel Gibson movie
Ransom) Fran and her friend Val (Rachel Chagall) eagerly tracked
down the dognappers and the reward.
In real life, Chester the dog was owned by Fran Dresher, the star of
THE NANNY. Chester had appeared on numerous magazine covers with
Fran as well as in the film Cadillac Man (1990).
In 2001, Fran Drescher published a book entitled "Cancer Schmancer"
that chronicled her battle with uterine cancer, and the death of her
beloved companion, Chester on December 26, 2000.
Fran first saw Chester in a pet store in the mall. She had always
wanted a dog, but her parents would always say that when she got
married she could have a dog. So, when she got married, Fran got
herself a red Pomeranian named Chester for $500 who according to
Fran was not a show dog -- he was a shopping mall dog.
Fran took Chester everywhere with her (restaurants, museums,
theaters, etc) and actively ignored "no dogs allowed" signs. When
Chester reached the age of 18, Fran reluctantly had him put to
sleep.
"Having an old dog," wrote Fran "is like being in the company of any
geriatric. The hearing goes, the eyesight goes, and it's all
downhill from there. My great grandmother, in her last years, used
to say, 'It's no good to get old'. I think that's where Chester was
at too."
On Christmas night 2000, Fran and her boyfriend John found Chester
unable to get up, and covered in his own feces. After bathing the
dog, Fran called the Vet who came to the house the next day to put
Chester down.
According to Fran "It was a beautiful day, and I held him outside on
my deck. I wanted him to feel the sun on his face one more time.. I
inhaled his scent and cradled him....Chester and I lay on the bed. I
just kissed him and stroked him. I whispered in his ear how much I
loved him. I always said, 'There'll never be another you,' and I
repeated it that day. We had penne pasta together. He seemed to want
it, and I couldn't refuse him anything."
After Fran finished mourning Chester's death, she decided to get a
new puppy. "Why should I live in my big house, without a uterus and
without a dog too?" said Drescher. So, at the recommendation of
her cousin Erica, Fran went to a pet shop called "Pet Love" that
offered a big selection of really cute dogs.
After careful consideration, Fran selected a quiet, chocolate
brown female Pomeranian and named the new puppy Esther, after her
great-grandmother.
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