A happier post about Chase...

[tollermom]

My posts have mostly been sad lately... and honestly, they may continue that way for awhile... but for 14 years Chase was a happy dog and that happiness shone through to everybody who met him.

Towards the end, he was mostly blind from cataracts, mostly deaf, and getting a bit wobbly, all of which made navigating big strange hotels something of a dicey proposition. WindyCon is always so big and crowded that I borrowed a wagon from a friend with kids, and Chase spent the weekend riding around the hotel in the wagon.

	Chase at WindyCon '07 WindyCon's hotel was big and hard to navigate, and I wasn't sure how well Mr. Blind Dog would handle all of that, so we borrowed a wagon from a friend and he travelled the con in style.
	Chase hanging out during concerts at WindyCon '07 Dogs weren't allowed in function space, but since the concert stage was technically in the hall outside the dealer's room, it was really hotel public space, so Chase got to go to some of the concerts, where he hung out in his little red wagon and enjoy attention from the folks passing by.
	Wet Dogs Need Love Too! Chase, after a walk in the sleet during WindyCon '07. He happily wore the towel around the room for awhile. I think he may have been begging for french fries in this shot.
	My Smiling Boy Chase, smiling happily while drying off after a walk in the sleet and rain at WindyCon '07.

He loved going to cons, 'cause he got lots of attention and frequently lots of french fries (especially when we roomed with catalana, 'cause he was expert at convincing her that it had been hours since his last treat). I will always be grateful for cons at dog-friendly hotels, because some of my best memories from Chase's last year were times we spent hanging out at cons, introducing people to my wonderful red dog.

Comments

[kyrielle]

Oh, he's lovely. Thank you for sharing these memories and photos.

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

What a sweetheart!

And he does definitely look like a master of the art of "pleeeeeeease? She NEVER EVER feeds me EVER!"

[tollermom]

Yes... he was a most excellent moocher, and so sweet and patient about it that you couldn't help but give in. :-)

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

Awwww -- he looks so happy in these shots. Thanks for sharing them.

[catalana.livejournal.com]

*laugh* I remember trying to get him to hold still while wearing the towel so you could get those shots. I'm glad to see some of them came out!

[tollermom]

I almost couldn't find them... I forgot to tag them when I imported them into iPhoto and so they weren't showing up in my Chase filter. Thankfully, it tracks things by date too, so I narrowed in on November and there they were.

I'm really glad they turned out... that's really the last good pictures I got of him, and he had such a good time that weekend that that's really a good way for me to remember him.

[cadhla.livejournal.com]

PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[spiceofbroadway.livejournal.com]

Hi,

I saw your post about Chase on Toller-L, and I just remembered seeing an LJ called Drummer's Corner of the World, and I put two and two together. I'm so sorry to hear about Chase. I lost my little mixed breed very suddenly to hemangiosarcoma two years ago. You're right--it's a pretty painless way for a dog to go, but the speed at which it takes them sure makes it hard for those left behind.

Those are great pics--Chase must have made so many people's days gretting them at cons!

Bella and I both send you many hugs.

Kristina

[tollermom]

Thanks, Kristina.

Bella's pictures are adorable... I love those huge white paws. :-)

Chase was a great ambassador for the breed. He adored meeting people and he never stopped wagging. Now I get to see if I can turn Drummer (who has a bad case of "second child syndrome" and now needs some concentrated attention from mom) into the same kind of social butterfly.