Chance

December 10th 2003 - January 3rd 2012

Today we lost a most loved and loyal friend.  Sadly, we had to put our chocolate lab to sleep.  Not something very easy to do....

He hadn't been himself for a couple of months but we just assumed he was getting older and probably not as agile as he used to be.  He no longer found joy in swimming in the pool or in chasing balls.  He was however, still happy and playful and eating, but something was just off.  So, when he appeared one morning out of the blue to look as if he swallowed a balloon, I worried.  We waited to see if the full tummy thing was him getting into the dog food, but his tummy did not go down.  He seemed less active, but still active.  Then, he stopped eating.  Chance NEVER stops eating.  He does not have that switch.  He would gorge himself, throw up, and keep eating all the while there was food in front of him.  It is in his genetics - those labs are known for putting it down.  I told myself he had just eaten sooo much he had blocked himself up and needed to be taken to the vet for an enema, but inside, I was a little scared.  I knew I should be scared once I saw that he had a hard time getting into the car.

His tummy was not full and blocked up with food - rather it was filled with blood.  He had a tumor on an organ (they narrowed it down to his liver or spleen) that had ruptured and was bleeding into his abdomen.  Blood in the stomach meant one thing.  I was to make a decision the vet said.  I had about 10 minutes to decide if they wanted to try and save his life.  They told me, he would need a blood transfusion before they could operate since he had lost so much blood and they did not know if he would even survive the surgery. 

Would it save him?  that is all I needed to know.... If it will help him and make him better I will do it!  I was told IF he made it through the surgery it would give us a few more days or weeks with him.... maybe a month or two at most.  It was terminal - he was going die.  The vet didn't think that he would live more than a day to two on his own.  He couldn't breathe well due to him tummy being so full and pushing into him diaphragm.  He no longer tried to stand, he just seemed sad and tired.  I knew what needed to be done, and I was a mess....

I have never been more relieved in my life that Mr. Anderson was intown this particular Tuesday.  I called and gave him the news and we decided we didn't want Chance to suffer anymore than he had.  He had been a good dog and didn't deserve to be put through anything more just to give us a few more moments in time with him.  He most likely had the tumor for a while now and was on borrowed time.  Mr. Anderson wanted to say goodbye and so Chance and I waited for him to meet us at the vet before they uthenized Chance.  It all happened so fast.  One day he was perfect and then the next, not so much.   

Even though I spent the better part of the day sobbing all over Chancey as he struggled - he would lick my hand and lay his head on my lap.  True to his nature, in his final hours, he was trying to comfort me.  That about sums up that sweet crazy lab.  He loved us and wanted nothing more than to just be wherever we were and help us out if he could. 

He was VERY happy to see his master arrive.  Mr Anderson got Chance's tail wagging one last time.  We said our good bye's and told him what a good dog he was, then brought him home for a funeral...  The kids were all a mess, as one might imagine - they were at school when it all happend and so the news was hard to share, and hard to hear.   Adam, who is our dog whisperer didn't know if he would be able to make it school for the rest of the week.  Even Roscoe seemed to know something was up.

Mr Anderson dug the hole and the kids all got to say their goodbyes - then we lovingly placed our Chancey in the ground.  The kids decided he was such a good dog that we needed to get him a proper tomb stone.  Mr Anderson is working on it.

We have many fond family memories of Chance that will live in our hearts and bring smiles to our faces.  He was a good puppy dog and we will miss him dearly. 

Chance.....
Mr. Anderson's first hunting dog
Our first dog together
The first family dog for our children. 
It is hard to remember our life before him. 
It is hard to imagine life without him.
It is just hard.
I am really happy that we were able to bring him home from the vet and bury him in a special spot in our backyard.  I loved that doggie....very much!  There will ever be another Chancey.... 

There were times (mainly the first 2 years of his life) that I was not so sure about the whole chocolate lab thing and we kind of had a love hate relationship.  Well, on my part anyway - he loved me.... always.  Sure he was adorable, but boy oh boy, did that dog have SPUNK!  Over the years and through lots of tears, sweat, and training, that spunky dog found a place in our home and hearts.....he loved us, he loved food, and he loved to please us..... for food.

We had many names for our Chancey.... Chancey-pants, Shawny-C, or puppy.  He loved to go bird hunting and chase after whomever was on the quad until he could no longer run.  He loved the water and was always up for a swim.  He loved to eat - everything.  We would often catch him in the garden eating our produce - you know a dog loves food when he is eating fruit and veggies.  No matter where we were, he was always beside us.  He was family.

I imagine our Chancey-pants chasing quads up in heaven....... and eating lots of watermelon.

They say a dog is man's best friend..... he truly was.  Mr. Anderson will be sad for a long time I am afraid.... as will we all in the Anderson household.