Life from the perspective of our 4+ year old black Labrador mix dog Chance

It all started with my mommy and daddy packing up boxes. I don’t know what was going on but daddy wasn’t around much anymore. Mommy seemed to forget about me a lot. She really needed me. One night when she couldn’t put my crate together she was very, very upset. I made sure she knew I loved her and licked her face as much as I could. Since Daddy wasn’t around I had to fill in where I could. Mommy even let me sleep in the bed with her.

One day, Mommy stuck me in the car all afternoon. When she let me back in the house there were boxes everywhere. I’m not sure why but I made sure they didn’t forget any of my stuff. From the looks of it they had everything in a box. I just needed to make sure they didn’t forget me. I couldn’t get to my favorite place to lean against the couch or the rug at the back door where I lay in the sun in the afternoon. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Later that night Mommy took me on a car ride and Daddy was there! I sure missed him.

The next morning they made me stay outside on the patio all day. I watched as two men wheeled away all the boxes. They took the couch and coffee table I lean on. When they finally let me back in the house, there was practically nothing left. I found my crate, my bed and my travel bag upstairs by a bunch of other bags. I wasn’t sure what was going on but as soon as I saw Daddy take a load of bags to the car, I wanted to make sure he loaded me too. They didn’t forget me. I rode on Mommy’s lap which wasn’t very comfortable.

We went to a house with a big dog I recognized. He’s at least three times my size, which he doesn’t seem to realize. We played a lot that night. I had a good night sleep but in the morning I made sure my parents didn’t leave me behind.

The back seat of the car had my new favorite blanket on it. It was really comfortable, like my bed at home. We had a long car ride. I’m not sure how long it was, because I slept a whole lot. Usually when I’m in the car this long we are going to see my dog friends Chandler or Kelly or my two-legged cousin Liam. They lead me into this strange place with a lot of doors that they didn’t want me to go in. When we went through one door I searched for the other back door out but couldn’t find one. There was a bed and a cold bathroom floor. When there were noises near the door, I made sure to be as loud as could to warn my parents and scare them away. The more I barked, the more my parents wanted me to be by them. I even slept on this new bed.

For some reason they’ve been leaving me in the car for hours at a time. I don’t know what I did to deserve this. I guess I should have figured it out since Mommy was taking me on a lot of car rides lately.

One night they made me walk into this little room. They had all their bags so I didn’t really have a choice but to follow if I wanted to go with them. The door slid closed and then it made a loud noise. The room was moving! I didn’t like it at all. I wanted out of there as fast as possible.

Sometimes during the car ride they would put the window down and I could stick my head out to feel the breeze. I love it, until I get cold.

We went to this park where there were a lot of people. Mommy didn’t want me to run around much. I just wanted to climb the rocks and explore. She ruins all the fun worrying about me. I just wanted to see what was over the edge of rocks.

We saw some strange animals. I made sure to put them in their place. I made sure Mommy was safe and that no one came near her. I think they heard me.

I wasn’t sure where we were going; I just know every time a piece of luggage gets packed, I need to make sure I go with it.

I don’t always understand what humans say, but I can figure out a lot from what tone of voice they use. Mommy started saying happy things to me and petting me. I don’t know what she was getting all worked up and excited for, but the more she did, the more excited I was too. Something about this new place called “home”.

They unloaded all of the bags out of the car, which made me know we were going to stay for awhile. I’m worried about this new place. It’s very different than my old home.  There is this thing that they call fire that makes me very warm. There are stairs down but the door is closed so I don’t know what’s down there. There are so many places to explore. I’m not sure where to lie down to nap. I miss my favorite spots.  I haven’t seen any dogs to make friends with yet either. I miss Hershey, my best friend in Charleston. I’m just glad mommy is with me most of the time.