Friday, Sep. 26, 2008

Committee checks up on progress of Chocolate the dog (w/gallery)

By Joe Chapman, Herald staff writer

Apparently karma isn't finished evening the score for Chocolate.

The resilient Chesapeake Bay retriever survived months of abandonment and hobbling on broken legs in fields north of Pasco last year before he was rescued by a Good Samaritan.

Surgeries and physical therapy gave him a shot at a normal life again, and the adoptive family that received him in July has taken over the feel-good story from there.

On Thursday, the committee that found a new home for him stopped by to check in. They found him getting along with his new family, exercising in an above-ground pool they installed for him and having access to an adequate supply of yellow nubby balls.

"I think it's fantastic it's going so well for him," said Gregg Bartel-Bailey, a committee member. "Obviously, he's with folks who are going to work hard with him and give him a great environment."

Sarah and Kurt, the Pasco couple who adopted Chocolate but have asked that their last name be withheld to protect their anonymity, set up the pool right after they got him. It's 3 feet high, 12 feet in diameter, and is equipped with a pump and PVC frame.

The pool is good therapy for Chocolate, who still needs much attention as he continues striving toward somewhat normal physical abilities for a dog. He swims in it every day.

Demonstrating for the adoption committee, Kurt strapped Chocolate's life jacket around him and tossed one of the yellow balls into the pool. That was Chocolate's cue to prop himself up on the side of the pool until Kurt could hoist him the rest of the way in.

Chocolate played fetch in the water for about 20 minutes, not even realizing the workout his legs were getting.

Sarah said he gets a similar benefit from playing tug-of-war when he's not in the water. Kurt demonstrated that, too, as he tried to pull the yellow ball from Chocolate's clenched teeth.

The dog threw his entire weight in reverse, even using his repaired front legs to push. Slobber dripped from his mouth like a leaky faucet, but he didn't let go. Finally Kurt wore out and relented, giving Chocolate his victory.

"He's stubborn," Kurt said. "Once he has one of his toys, he won't let go."

The toys included the original yellow ball his rescuer Sonia Ayala found him with in January. It's mostly shreds now, and he even chewed a few of the nubs off. He's also got a perfect replica of that ball, a yellow football that also has nubs, and a yellow ice cream cone type of a toy that squeaks.

"Anything that's yellow, he eats," Sarah said.

"How many yellow balls have you been through?" adoption committee member Dr. Janine Swailes of Meadow Hills Veterinary Center asked Chocolate when she saw his collection.

He's starting to collect nicknames, too, something Sarah and Kurt like to do with their dogs. Kurt has called him Choco, and Sarah likes to refer to him as Chocolate Chip Sundae.

They keep him busy in other ways, too. Two weeks ago, they took him and the other two dogs, Yukon and Tahoe, on a camping trip to Curlew Lake in Republic, where Chocolate swam and ate some fish.

Recently, they took him back to Washington State University's veterinary school for his second checkup since he was released in July. He still limps and tends to curl his right front leg like when it was broken, so Dr. Steve Martinez recommended custom braces to help get his legs to the next level of use.

To help with the ongoing costs, Sarah and Kurt have access to $9,000 in donations left over from the nearly $30,000 the public donated to Chocolate's cause. But they have paid for most of his needs out of pocket, preferring not to deplete the donated money in case Chocolate needs further surgeries, Sarah said.

For the time being, no more are needed, but that could change as he gets older, she said.