My big ball of dumb....

Six years ago this afternoon, I dragged a terrified, kicking, panicked Chase out of the shelter where he'd lived for 18 months. He'd come in as a four month old puppy, all legs, too far past the cute stage to get adopted quickly, too full of fear to get someone to notice him in a positive way. All his buddies already lived at our place, so why not Chase too? Except Chase didn't want to leave the only home he'd ever known. It took three of us to get him into the truck.

It would probably take three people to get him back into the truck now. Chase likes to run and go for walks, but he is happiest in his yard; in his pen with his beloved Goldie. Chase does not like change. He likes everything exactly the same as it was yesterday!

Chase is not the brightest crayon in the box. We have often said he's so dumb it's a bit suprising he remembers to breath on his own. He's a giant over-grown puppy, stuck in goofy puppy mode forever. But he just wouldn't be Chase if he was a doggy genius. It's part of his charm!

Sometimes the dumb ones are gift....Chase is an easy dog in every way; Chase never thinks to challenge me; I tell him to do something, he does it; there's no husky selective hearing, no debate on what it's in it for him; he just does as he's asked to do; he's grateful for every little tidbit of attention and love he gets; every walk is the greatest adventure he's ever been on; every dinner is the best meal he's ever had; he can't open gates, never tries to escape or challenges a fence and even if he did mange to, he'd never dream of leaving the yard, its scary out there; he never gets put out because another dog got something he didn't; he doesn't seem to realize he doesn't have to let Goldie be the boss of him; he's quite happy to let her boss him around endlessly and she's delighted to be the boss of someone.

Anyone who thinks dogs don't form their own love bonds needs to meet Chase and Goldie. He is her only canine friend; she's half his size, 5 years older, short, slow and fat to his long, fast and lean. Goldie's life has been much happier since Chase came into it. As she nears the end of her life, he continues to dote on her. I am hopeful that his clueless nature will help limit his grief when she passes.

Chase is my big ball of dumb, but I say that with great affection as he's also a great snuggler; a sweet and gentle boy; an entertaining goofball; a gift to me and Goldie.

Happy Gotcha Day, my doofus dog.

What are the odds of that?

We are planning a trip to Costa Rica later this year. Critter care is arranged; flights are paid for, hotels booked in several locations. We aren't doing any major chains or resort accomodations this time. We are staying in small B&B type places and renting a cabina on the beach.

Today I was emailing with the owner of the hotel where we are spending our first and last few nights in Alajuela. Close to the airport, without the hassle of the big city of San Jose. Hotel was picked pretty much at random..I liked the website, my Fodor's guide book gave it a decent rating and the reviews on TripAdvisor ranged from decent to glowing.

Today, the owner told me he used to have a similar email address to mine, when he lived in Yellowknife......

What are the odds that of the hundreds of hotels in Costa Rica 4500 miles from my home, I booked the one owned by a fellow Northerner....at least he totally gets why even rainy season in the tropics sounds awesome to me! November is about my least favorite time of year here...it's dark, it's cold, but not quite enough snow usually to enjoy the winter yet!