Our Chloe Belle

Our Chloe Belle came into our lives in the early months of the year 2000. Several neighborhood kids had found a dog tied to a tree along the riverbank.

She was completely hairless, covered in open weeping sores & was emaciated. But this girl was HAPPY.

Right away we got food for her to eat & water for her to drink. Since it was late evening & the vet's office was closed, straight to my Mom's house she went. Not knowing if she had something contagious, we could not risk exposing Ginger & Annie to anything. The smell of her could only be described as stomach turning. When we took her to the vet the next morning, we found out why she smelled so bad. She had mange & had probably had it since birth (he estimated that she was 2). The open wounds had become septic & she had staph infection. Our vet was very honest with us & told us that he did not know if she would be able to pull through.

But still, she was HAPPY.

After many rounds of treatment & months having gone by, our vet told us that this was the last treatment that he would try & that if she did not respond, we would have to let her go. Of course we were crushed, & just could not fathom that this girl who had suffered so much in her short life, would not get the chance to enjoy the good stuff. I remember praying & begging God to let her live just a year & to let her feel good & I would do everything that I could for her. I wanted her to have fun. I promised I would take her everywhere with me & to make sure to make it the best year ever.

As you know, that prayer was answered & Chloe Belle has been with us ever since. And she is always HAPPY. Until the past few years, she danced everywhere. She did not walk, she hopped, jumped & leaped. For years, her nickname was Leaping Lilly. The grouping was always Ginger & Annie palling around together & Chloe tagging along behind. Several times this got Chloe into trouble. One particular time, Ginger had stuck her head in a hole in the ground (while out for a walk in a park) & she then sneezed in to the hole (she had major allergies). Right behind her, Chloe stuck her head into the sneezed in hole & OH MY!!! It was a hornets nest! Poor Chloe was stung multiple times, but still she was HAPPY. After Ginger passed on, Annie & Chloe became closer & will often be found laying near each other.

When Chloe was younger, she was quite mischievous. She would climb our chain link fence & then walk to the front gate to be let back in. Why was that fun? Who knows, but she did it any chance she got. There was also the time that while walking to the front gate, she was distracted by a neighbor's car & for reasons unknown, she chewed up the wheel hub. We were much more careful with her being outside after that. Around the same time, I spent 20 minutes saving a moth from the cats; as I opened the door to release the moth, I practically bumped into Chloe, & before I realized what was happening, it was too late & she jumped up & ate that moth! And then some unsavory former neighbors who (unknown to us) decided they did not want their couch anymore & threw it on our fence causing the fence to collapse in that area! So off the girls went on a big adventure. I happened to be coming around the side of the house (couch & fence were hidden behind foliage) & saw that they were on the outside of the fence!! I called for Annie & Chloe; Annie kept running, but Chloe turned back to stare at me for a long time & then woohooo off she went with Annie! Chloe has always just gone with the flow & although she was at times, a handful, she is an easy loving dog. She loves everyone (unless you are wearing a uniform) & expects very little in return. More importantly though, Chloe has been there for us from day one. If you ever needed cheering up, she is right there willing & trying to make you happy.

We recently found out that our sweet girl has bone cancer (skull) & that she does not have much time left with us. When she is ready, we will help send her onto her next journey, but we will be wishing all the while that she could just stay a little longer. We will be forever thankful for the time that she spent with us. Chloe does not know that anything is wrong yet & until that day comes, she will get all of the treats she wants; endless petting sessions & plenty of free time for rolling in the dirt!  WE LOVE YOU CHLOE!!!