I still remember, getting up early to meet his owner at a gas station in Iowa, since she was driving through on her way to Peoria. We were early and I was sooo nervous. When she pulled up, I knew it was her, although I didn't know what she or her truck looked like. Then I saw Chester.
His name was Pugsley back then and he weighed 14 pounds. He was so tiny and cute! I couldn't stop laughing when I looked at his face. We transferred his stuff to our car, said our goodbyes and drove off.
I remember he had expressed his anal glands in all the excitement, because he smelled like the porcupines at the zoo on hot days. Mike had to get ready for work, so I hung around, trying to decide on a name. I decided to take him to get vaccinated, because local animal control has cheap vaccination days on Wednesdays. He got the full rounds since he'd never been vaccinated, aside from his puppy shots three years ago. It was the lady at the shelter who really named him, because at that point, I couldn't decide between Chester or Teddy. She liked Chester more, so that's what I wrote on the registration form.
Although I was told he was housebroken, he peed all over everything, when my back was turned. He was so excited, he didn't stop panting for THREE DAYS. I got him on a Wednesday, and decided to neuter him on the following Monday, because he was peeing everywhere.
I enrolled him in training classes around a month after I got him. That's when I started realizing how smart he is. He would catch on to the little tricks the trainer and I would try to get him to do things. I had the hardest time teaching him down. He just didn't get it. But of course he did it for the trainer right away.
He's put on a lot of weight since then, mostly because I felt like he was so tiny. But he has gotten a bit bigger than I'd like. It's his teeny little head. It looks so funny with the chubby body he has. We both need to get out and walk more.
Here is a video of him a couple weeks after I got him. I forgot how crazy he was! Now he's all fat and sleeps all day. Oops. Bad mom.
Aw, cute little Chester!
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