Chester

Good Afternoon Sylvia,

I thought of sending you a note sooner but things have been crazy. I saw you on the news getting the Woman of Vision Award. I was very pleased to see this. You really do deserve it. Congratulations!!

Chester is a wonderful dog. I attached a picture of him and my daughter Laura.

Everyday we learn something new about him. He has changed and opened up so much. I remember when we met him in the IKEA parking lot. I just knew he was the dog for us. He was so gentle when Katrina gave him that dog treat. When we got Chester I remember he was at that point of shedding where his fur needed some real good brushing. My husband didn’t really want a dog at the time but he knew that it had become a losing battle. My Children and I were ready. I knew we needed Chester to look his best. So on the way home we took Chester to a dog wash and groomed him all up. We were really not prepared for this experience, After all we did not bring towels or anything. Chester took it well. He hated the spraying and washing but not once did he growl or nip. He did wiggle and squirm a lot though. Once he was all shiny we loaded him back into the van and brought him home.

My husband got home a couple of hours later. We always laugh and say that Cliff doesn’t have an overabundance of soft feelers. He comes from a farm background where dogs have a purpose. Well when he saw Chester he couldn’t help but smile with approval. Chester instantly won him over with those beautiful eyes.

When we went to take him home, you mentioned you were surprised that he got into the van so easily. Well, now he is trained to get into the back of the van or the truck and he loves it. I can’t go anywhere without him. No way could we get him into the small pool for a swim or a bath. Today, he not only got into the pool but he even laid down and rolled around in it.

We have learned that when we are not home he is an excellent guard dog, yet he is so gentle with children. He is awesome with the kids. Katrina (4) just loves him. He doesn’t jump on her and he loves to be loved and petted. It’s a match made in heaven. My older daughter Laura (9) is his main care taker. She feeds him, grooms him and takes him for a daily bike ride on top of the walks and other things he does with the rest of the family. She is also taking him to dog obedience. He is doing wonderful. Of course we have a leg up since he was already partially trained when we got him. We’re hoping that we can put him into agility training.

We can not understand why someone would have given him up but we are thankful because he is an absolute wonderful dog and we couldn’t be happier. Thank you for taking the time to rescue these dogs and thank you to the volunteers who take the time to help you.


All the best,
Della, Laura, Cody, Katrina & Clifford.