My High Maintenance Hide and Seek Champ…

Looking through old photos today, I realized I had forgotten what a high maintenance pup Chance was in his early years…he had a long list of food allergies. ALL dog foods made him ill – he was on a strict diet of liver, rice, and cottage cheese when he first came home with us. He came with a one page list of instructions from his amazing foster family who took the time to write down their experiences with his food issues. (We were later able to find a specialty lamb and rice dog food that he could tolerate) He was also taking Soloxine and Prednisone and we went in for monthly blood tests to make sure his levels were where they needed to be. At about 18 months, he began having mild seizures and phenobarbital was added to his pill regime. The vet he saw during his early years told us not to expect Chance to have the same longevity as other large dogs because of his health issues…yet the reason I forgot most of this is because as Chance aged, he actually grew OUT of many of his health issues and until the arthritis and cancer earlier this year, he was only on thyroid medication! He truly seemed to hit his peak level of health and energy around age 8. And despite the original vet’s expectation of a shortened life, my happy go lucky, never give up pup celebrated his 10th birthday about a week and a half before he crossed ‘the bridge’…

When Chance was about a year and a half old, we contemplated joining a volunteer search and rescue group in Utah. We ended up not pursuing it because of Chance’s health, but when researching it, I learned that playing hide and seek with your dog was a way to determine if search and rescue was something he or she might enjoy. While hiding in a closet or under a blanket to see if your dog can find you might not be considered a ‘normal’ activity for a person in their mid-twenties, it was fun!  Chance loved the game, and it was one we continued playing once the kids were old enough to participate…of course their giggling usually gave them away pretty quickly.  Chance was still playing hide-and-seek in July…

Still haven’t scanned the older photos, so this one is from May of 2009 – love that smile!