meet chase

g and i would like to introduce chase, the dog we rescued on the highway.

little did we know that our last-minute, spontaneous trip to yosemite would lead us to this dog. as we were driving home on the I-5, g caught glimpse of a little head popping out from the median of the highway. at the time, i was asleep, but soon awoke when g exited. look! a dog! we have to go back! so we drove back onto the freeway, put the emergency break lights on, and approached the dog. g coaxed the terrified pup with beef jerky and stale bread until he gained his trust. no collars, no tag, just a helpless, thin dog. once we got him into the car, the dog jumped onto my lap and slept the rest of the way.

we had no idea what we were going to do with him except to give him water, a bath, and someplace safe to sleep. he also needed a name, so we decided on "chance" since this was his second chance at life. once we reached west la, we stopped at the store for a collar, leash, dog food, shampoo, and poopy bags. still, clueless as to what to do with him. at home, "chance" drank three bowls of water and devoured a bowl of food as if he had never eaten. g then gave him three good washings in the tub. he needed every. single. one. we set up a makeshift bed and went to bed.

the next day, we discussed the pros and cons of keeping "chance." we wanted to see how he interacted with other people and dogs, so we took him to the dog park. and oh my goodness, was he the charmer! people were amazed that we had just rescued him because of the way he responded to us and the way he interacted with others. yep, our pup gets along with others. at the park, we changed his name to "chase" because that's what kept coming out of g's mouth when he called him. so chase it is.

although it's only been 48 hours, we are becoming attached to chase. but there's  problem here: we still don't know if we're going to keep him. raising a dog is a huge responsibility. a joint responsibility. isn't there already a big transition happening with me moving in? how will we continue to live the way we enjoy with this extra life to care for? and what about our move to seattle? having a dog will limit our choices of apartments. 

BUT within those same 48 hours, chase has made tremendous progress. he is everything g and i dreamed of in a dog. of course, in the "right" timing. really though, when is the "right" timing? maybe this is perfect timing. i'm moving in, so it will be our dog and our responsibility. we are moving next year to a dog-friendly city, where we can make new friends and build a community. just as a man said to us last night, dogs come into our lives when we need them most. perhaps g and i need chase in our lives to reinforce the commitment we have for each other. 

we decided we will give it a week before we make a final decision. so far, we feel great about chase, but let's just see how it goes when we get back into our schedules. to be honest though, i am falling in love with him by the second. and you better believe g is too. we feel complete.