LavenderRott
February 26th, 2005, 11:37 AM
I wrote this yesterday to post on another list that I belong to. I can't find the words to write this any better or any different. This dog was my heart and she will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.
I sit here, with tears in my eyes, trying to find the words to tell everyone who never met her, why Chase was so special. Please bear with me if this is a little long and rambling.
We found her in a run at Animal Control. This sweet dog that sat quietly at the front of the run, not barking or making a big fuss, just waiting to be noticed. She had recently had a litter of pups, her teats hung to the floor. She looked so sad and so lost. We inquired at the front desk, but there was a name of someone who was interested in her if she wasn't picked up by her owners. On a whim, I added my name, just in case.
She moved in knowing everything. Basic commands - knew them all. Put your head down - every time I asked. Housebroken - I can count the accident of almost eight years on one hand. And love. God, did this dog know how to love.
My son was born 8 months after Chase found us. As a toddler, he once stood on her head to put his sippy cup on the dining room table. She was so careful to be absolutely still - except for her eyes. Those beautiful tan eyebrows went up to see what he was doing. Of course, I corrected my son, but Chase wasn't bothered in the least by the whole thing. As Quinten grew older, he tried to ride her like a pony. She simply sat down. No fuss, no muss, just a neat sit. As he continued to grow, it was not uncommon to find Chase sleeping nearby.
Chase was the dog that all of the little kids in the neighborhood got to meet first. I remember the woman across the street bringing her 18 month old daughter over. She wanted her daughter to meet the big dog that behaved so well so that her daughter wouldn't be afraid of dogs. My next door neighbor's neice was out playing in the front yard last summer and came up and knocked on my front door. She wanted to know if Chase could come out and play.
Chase loved car rides and parades. Especially the parades where little kids had cotton candy. She loved those sticky, chubby little fingers.
Chase limped for the first time on the 4th of February. I caught my breath and told my husband that she could not get cancer now. I needed her to be here for me while he was gone. He gave me a hug and told me not to worry. He told me she was an old girl and it was cold outside. Sure enough, by the end of the day she was back to her old self, playing with Missy and jumping up on Quinten's bed at bedtime.
This morning she was unable to put any weight at all on her right leg. The ball joint in her shoulder had calcified and was collapsing in on itself. Medication is available that would have "taken the edge off". She was too loyal a friend to suffer another day. She went to the bridge surrounded by family, knowing that she was loved. And oh, how she was loved.
I sit here, with tears in my eyes, trying to find the words to tell everyone who never met her, why Chase was so special. Please bear with me if this is a little long and rambling.
We found her in a run at Animal Control. This sweet dog that sat quietly at the front of the run, not barking or making a big fuss, just waiting to be noticed. She had recently had a litter of pups, her teats hung to the floor. She looked so sad and so lost. We inquired at the front desk, but there was a name of someone who was interested in her if she wasn't picked up by her owners. On a whim, I added my name, just in case.
She moved in knowing everything. Basic commands - knew them all. Put your head down - every time I asked. Housebroken - I can count the accident of almost eight years on one hand. And love. God, did this dog know how to love.
My son was born 8 months after Chase found us. As a toddler, he once stood on her head to put his sippy cup on the dining room table. She was so careful to be absolutely still - except for her eyes. Those beautiful tan eyebrows went up to see what he was doing. Of course, I corrected my son, but Chase wasn't bothered in the least by the whole thing. As Quinten grew older, he tried to ride her like a pony. She simply sat down. No fuss, no muss, just a neat sit. As he continued to grow, it was not uncommon to find Chase sleeping nearby.
Chase was the dog that all of the little kids in the neighborhood got to meet first. I remember the woman across the street bringing her 18 month old daughter over. She wanted her daughter to meet the big dog that behaved so well so that her daughter wouldn't be afraid of dogs. My next door neighbor's neice was out playing in the front yard last summer and came up and knocked on my front door. She wanted to know if Chase could come out and play.
Chase loved car rides and parades. Especially the parades where little kids had cotton candy. She loved those sticky, chubby little fingers.
Chase limped for the first time on the 4th of February. I caught my breath and told my husband that she could not get cancer now. I needed her to be here for me while he was gone. He gave me a hug and told me not to worry. He told me she was an old girl and it was cold outside. Sure enough, by the end of the day she was back to her old self, playing with Missy and jumping up on Quinten's bed at bedtime.
This morning she was unable to put any weight at all on her right leg. The ball joint in her shoulder had calcified and was collapsing in on itself. Medication is available that would have "taken the edge off". She was too loyal a friend to suffer another day. She went to the bridge surrounded by family, knowing that she was loved. And oh, how she was loved.