Chewy's Tale

I had the opportunity to foster for DPS in 2001, when I lived in Riverside County, CA. During that time, I was asked to foster Chewy, a little Chow pup who had lost his home when his owners lost theirs. Chewy was only supposed to stay with me for a short time, while his family relocated, but when a vet visit confirmed that he was suffering from hip dysplasia and a condition called panosteitis, and that he possibly had food allergies that would require him to be on a special diet the rest of his life, his family decided that they could not financially shoulder the cost of the meds and potential surgeries forecast for Chewy's future. Meanwhile, I had totally fallen in love with him, so I adopted him.

Fast forward to the present, and Chewy is still with me. Through a strict discipline of natural diet and exercise, he has managed to make it through his ninth birthday without the need for painkillers or surgery. He now lives with me, his "brother" Riley (lab-pit mix), and his most recently adopted little brother, Crash (chocolate lab) on ten acres in El Dorado County, and he is the most wonderful, happy dog ever. I have even joked about cloning him, just because I can't imagine ever having a dog as sweet as Chewy without making a carbon copy!

I will always be thankful to DPS for introducing Chewy into my life. He greets me daily with a smile and a gently wagging tail. And when I see him hanging out under the shade of an oak tree, watching "his" goats grazing, I can't help but hope that he is as happy with the turns his life took as I am.