the life of a family dog...

As I have been looking through photos and trying to avoid jumping in to a container of animal crackers and simultaneously grateful that I don't have animal crackers in the house I decided to put together a few photos that made me smile....to honor Chance.  In hopes it will remind us how wonderful her life was and how she enriched ours.  I noticed that my photos are sparse during Andrew and Katherine's early years...I imagine that this is a product of having two children 13 months apart while moving overseas and then that there was a surge of photos with the creation of the iPhone.  It was nice to review the pictures and these are some of the highlights that I want to remember over the past 14 years.

So...here we go.

Fourteen years ago Glenn and I finished college and were embarking on a new adventure.  He had just started flight school and I was pregnant with our first child.  As a graduation gift, my father bought a dog for us.  She went everywhere with us that her couch potato self would allow.

Here's to Chance..

She warmly and with love welcome three children, 5 cats and another dog into this house.

While we lived in California...she became a California dog.  She would go outside and lay on her back in the grass for so long I thought I should put sunscreen on her tummy.  This is how I will always remember her.

She tolerated bath time and would pout but the second it was over she would be the happiest dog ever.  

Chance would chase cats outdoors but her indoor cat pals were for snuggling.  Somehow they had it all worked out and we never had to get involved.

She would cry and wag her tail when Glenn would come home from cruise.  It was like her tail was going to wag right off of her body...he was her favorite person.  I can't blame her...he is an amazing man.

Even blind...she had the "can I have some of your popcorn face" nailed...Jax on the left isn't so bad either.  He was looking at the popcorn...she was looking at the eyes.  In.to.your.soul.  Try to say no.

She never left our side while we worked (me from home) or relaxed....

She made one little girl a very happy little girl...

She moved 11 times, 2 drives cross country, 1 drive north to south of the West coast and 2 cross Pacific flights to include being in a kennel for 6 weeks in Japan.  Always with a smile and wagging tail....she was happy to be with her people and we were happy to be with her.

Good bye sweet girl...we will miss you so much.  May the squirrels be plentiful, the food bowl always full and a warm sunny patch of grass to roll in.