Today Chief turns 15 years old! He was just a tiny, incredibly cute puppy when I got him, but his strong personality was already evident. Whenever I corrected him with a loud and firm “NO!” he would furiously bark back at me, much like a teenager challenging the orders of a parent. To celebrate such an important milestone in the life of our dear four-legged friend, let me share a few pictures.
This is perhaps my favorite shot of Chief ever! Before getting married to Phil, I lived in a small house, my backyard separated from the neighbor’s by a simple wire fence. My neighbor also had a dog, a female Springer Spaniel called Maria. Chief used to squeeze through the holes of that fence very easily to play with her. At some point, I traveled to attend a meeting, and left Chief with a friend. When I came back 10 days later, he had grown so much that passing through the holes was impossible! The photo captured well his expression of frustration faced with a reality he could not quite comprehend. 😉
He loved to eat his treats laying over the lawn. But you can more or less read his thoughts… “Why are you taking my picture? I am not sure I should allow it!“
All those treats gave him strong jaws! As an adult dog, he had no problem to deal with leftovers from a pulled pork. The bone ended up clean as a whistle… And, in case you are wondering about that bulky thing on his collar, it is a gadget he had to wear all the time to prevent him from digging under the solid wood fence in our home in Oklahoma. Quite a digger!
He loved playing with the hose… Still does, but his jumping days are over…
And loved playing in mud almost as much. This particular photo was taken 45 minutes after a bath, and almost caused me to go into cardiac arrest.
Always able to find the best spot in any room…
He loved his buddy Pits, and we know his life has never been quite the same ever since we had to say goodbye to our beloved dalmatian. Pits had the patience of a saint. Seriously.
Happy Birthday, Chief, you will always be a puppy for me!
ONE YEAR AGO: Sesame and Flaxseed Sourdough
TWO YEARS AGO: Green Beans with Miso and Almonds
THREE YEARS AGO: Saturday Morning Scones
FOUR YEARS AGO: White Bread
Bewitching Kitchen 
I love the pictures showing Chief turning from a cute puppy to a more sedate adult dog curling up with his ball after having what was probably a pretty exhausting day. He and Pits looked like they were great buddies.
Happy 15th Birthday, Chief!
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All days now are pretty exhausting to him, when he plays with the toy, he still tries to run, but we know it’s a struggle. He is right here by my chair, looking up at me, almost realizing that I’m writing about him…. or so it seems
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I know 15 is pretty old in dog years but as long as he’s doing ok, he’s a lucky guy to have such a good family to love him and take care of in return. I’m not a dog mommy but my brother and his family are. This past June their Bouvier had 10 puppies and shared pictures with me which I in turn shared on my LJ. The pics under the tag below are from most recent to oldest.
http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/tag/puppies
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Loved the photo! Ricardo (quite a cute name!) does look like a bear, but a cute and friendly one…
(I tried to leave a comment on your blog, but I just started using this computer and the login was impossible no matter what I tried to do… ) I hope you see this here…
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I’m sorry you weren’t able to post even anonymously and then just include your name in the comment. I’m glad I checked back. 🙂 The name is Ricardo as in Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy … there’s an Ethel and a Lucy in the family as well.
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I especially like the picture of you holding him.
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I have another photo taken on the same day, with me, Chief and Pits – that one is my favorite, maybe one day I’ll post it here. Pits was at the height of his life, and so was Chief. Heck, probably so was I too 😉
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Today is my birthday also, and I’m honored to share it with such a noble creature! Happy Birthday, Chief.
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Happy Birthday, Susan!!!!! Hope it is a wonderful day for you….
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Happy birthday, Chief, and thanks to Chief’s mamma for posting such sweet pictures. I, too, love the one of you and Chief and the pictures with Pits are priceless!
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I think I showed those “double decker” pictures at Cook’s Talk many years ago… it was amazing how they always ended like that whenever the temperature would drop a little. Chief cannot do it anymore, Oscar won’t allow it, and I don’t even think Chief has the strength to climb on top of Oscar anyway
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Oh, very cute!
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Thank you, Solange! Glad you liked the post…
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What a sweet best friend! He is adorable. Is he a Jack Russell? I love how he “talked back”. I can tell he is full of personality. Happy Birthday!
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Jack Russell all the way…, I think Chief is THE prototype of a JRT. I wish I had made a video of him when he was tiny and “talking back” – it was hilarious, because it was a bark mixed with a talk, and he twisted his head back while doing it. I close my eyes and still see it… very very cute. Annoying, but cute
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He is too cute! I love seeing the puppy photos of him – his facial expressions are just too much. And the photos of him with Pit almost make me cry – they’re so sweet together. What an amazing thing to have a friend like that. Happy Birthday Chief!!!
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I have a hard time still looking at photos of Pits – an amazing dog he was! Sweet as a pot of honey, very obedient, and absolutely gorgeous, he was the grandson of a champion, but we decided he better be a normal dog than go for shows. Have you ever watched Best in Show? One of our favorite movies, I should rent it again…
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I love this. Thank you so much for sharing Chief with us, and on such a special day for him! Happy 15th Birthday Chief.. Sally, you are absolutely beautiful. 🙂
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Thank you, so sweet of you! But, keep in mind I have little to do with that photo now – gray hair: a lot more. Wrinkles: a lot more. But happiness also went up… So I am not complaining…. 😉 Time passes fast…
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Such a cute dog! Happy birthday! 🙂
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Thank you! I should give him a bath to celebrate, but it’s too cold and I suspect he is happier with his natural Jack Russell “aroma”… 😉
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Happy Birthday Chief! Wow 15 years old that sure is something to celebrate about. I hope your mommy made you a treat. My sister has two “active” Jack Russell’s. I have two Boxers, my one-eye female Zoe who will be 9 next month and my male Spike who will be 6 next month. I make them homemade dog cookies all the time. I love the photos of Chief with Pits. It’s like Chief is keeping Pits warm.
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Chief got some treats today, and will have more until time to go to bed… 😉 Unfortunately, not the home-made kind, I actually have never baked treats for them, which is kind of sad…. I should do it…
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Chief is very cute, looking at your pictures I can tell how much you love him!! 🙂
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Chief is a super special dog, very intelligent, even now at his old age…
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Awww such a sweetheart!! GIve him a big birthday hug for me and my uber allergic self.
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Oh, allergies… not fun! Hope you are not suffering too much – it’s a good thing that virtual hugs are allergen free! 😉 Chief is happy with any hug he can get…
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Oh, Happy, Happy Birthday Chief and what a beautiful commemorative post Sally! That first photo is so sweet and I can understand his disappointment not being able to travel to his lady friend’s house… I remember your hose video — so great! Funny how every pet has there ‘thing’ – that special object or movement that just lights them on fire. I don’t know if I could pick just one favorite image, they are all precious and tender in there own ways. Love the shot of Chief in the light (seeking out that perfect spot as you say) and the one with the tennis ball touches a chord too; Stella never allows her tennis balls to wander too far from her grasp and often falls asleep with one in her mouth. Too cute. Thank you for this beautiful post — these are my favorite by far — xx.
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Pets are too special, aren’t they? they melt my heart… each one in a different way. Oscar is amazing with my exercise routines. He lays down and sleeps for as long as I am exercising, but the moment I am done he MUST lay glued to me and be petted. No other dog has done this type of stuff, and I have no idea why he does it. In fact, the moment I grab the DVD to play, he assumes his position near the rug. too cute for words!
Chief will not eat his food in the morning unless his toy is right by the bowl.. He will search for it everywhere, grab it, place it next to the bowl and THEN eat…
I guess I better stop or this will turn into a book! 😉
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Belated Birthday wishes to Chief! It seems he chose his family quite well, Sally. I don’t think he could have found himself a better home — mud and all. 🙂
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