In memory of Chow Fun Campbell Weiner (1996-2008)

We lost an old friend this afternoon.

Chow Fun, the sweetest and gentlest Chow Chow you ever met, was euthanized today at about 1:00 PM.

For the last few days, she'd been having trouble getting her breath. I'm working from Raleigh this week, and wasn't there to help Carrie deal with this... but when Carrie took her to the vet this morning, the vet sent her straight to the critical care animal hospital... where, after taking some x-rays and performing some tests, the very kind doctors there diagnosed advanced, diffuse, metastatic cancer.

She went peacefully, and without pain.

Here are some pictures of our lovely yellow dog in happier times:


L'il Chow Fun, 1996


Chow Fun and Mister Gato, 2005


Chow Fun (foreground) and Chow Bella guarding the doorway, 2008

Chow Fun was a Good Girl, who loved her family, always took her guard duty seriously, and a true chow-hound, too (she took such pleasure in treats, and nothing would make her happier than a bite of leftover scrambled eggs from Sunday breakfast.)

She will be missed, and grieved... not just by Carrie and me, but by Chow Bella and Mister Gato.

Bella and Fun were littermates who have never, until just now, been separated... but the cat also developed a special bond with Chow Fun over the years. I often caught them snuggling quietly when they thought nobody was looking. :-)

I am not the type who goes in for that gooey, treacly Rainbow Bridge stuff (if you are, absolutely no offense is intended.)

But mister, if there aren't dogs in your Heaven, I ain't going.

A 2:1 Chow:door ratio

As a Chow owner, you learn to expect that one or more Chows will always be positioned between you and the door. If there are multiple doors and multiple Chows, they will be distributed approximately according to a 1:1 Chow:door ratio. Where there is but a single door, they happily double up.

The Chow is always between you and the door.

Chows Guarding the Entryway July 2008 by enrevanche, on Flickr

Good companions

Chows Bella and Fun, left to right, 1997:



Chows Bella and Fun, left to right, 2008:

The loyalty and devotion that dogs demonstrate as part of their natural instincts as pack animals closely mimics the human idea of love and friendship, leading many dog owners to view their pets as full-fledged family members. Conversely, dogs seem to view their human companions as members of their pack, and make few, if any, distinctions between their owners and fellow dogs. Dogs fill a variety of roles in human society and are often trained as working dogs. For dogs that do not have traditional jobs, a wide range of dog sports provide the opportunity to exhibit their natural skills. In many countries, the most common and perhaps most important role of dogs is as companions.

"Dog." Wikipedia.

Gato on guard duty

Been a while since we've had any Mister Gato photos around here. Time to rectify that.

Our menagerie includes not only one irascible tomcat, but two Chow Chows.

An important part of a Chow's job description is to always be between you and the front door. They were bred as guard dogs, and those instincts run deep. Chow Bella and Chow Fun trade off on door-guard duty as a general rule.

But now that Mister Gato is a full-fledged member of the household pack (and universally acknowledged feline badass) he takes regular shifts guarding the door too.

Mister Gato on door duty.

Of course, he's not without backup. Here's a little more context on that photo:

Chow Bella has Mister Gato's back.

Be sure to check out The Modulator's Friday Ark for other pictures of bloggers' pets... and the Carnival of the Cats, this Sunday, at Bad Kitty Cats.