One day we got a call that originated in West Virginia. Apparently an SPCA group up there had found some dogs that were owned by a couple who lived on a property that had no running water or electricity. The dogs were being kept outside without any water or food. They were told that if they were to allow the dogs to be confiscated by the SPCA, then they would not be prosecuted for animal cruelty. So, the people let the SPCA take the dogs and that was when we were called.

So, on October 29, 1998 at almost 8 p.m. we met in VA and picked up the dogs. One dog was a cream purebred Chow and the other was a red Chow Shepherd mix. The cream Chow is now named Gretchen and the red mix is named Rosie.

Gretchen is a wonderful little girl who at the tender age of 1 year was already the mother of at least 2 puppies, Poki'i a ka La (her daughter) and Pohaku (her son). We were told initially that the pups were purebred. As we got them with their mom when they were just two weeks old, it was not evident if that was so or not. However, as they got older, it was very obvious that the pups were Chow/Retriever mix. There were originally been more puppies in the litter, but these two are the only ones we are aware of that have survived.

Gretchen was chained up outdoors with no food or water. She was sacrificing her own bodily fluids to keep her pups alive. When she came to us, Gretchen was terribly underweight...her ribs were sticking out, weighing in at just 32 pounds. Gretchen was so afraid of not getting more food, she would gobble up all the food in the dish she was eating from, then would go over to one of the other dishes, pick it up with her teeth, and then hide it inside one of the crates for later. Eventually, she realized that food was always available, so she stopped stealing full dishes of food for later. The SPCA had her shaved as her coat had been so terribly matted with dirt and feces that it was the only way they could clean her up. And Gretchen had a very bad case of cherry eye in both eyes.

A month later Gretchen had gained 10 pounds and her puppies were doing well. Once the puppies had been weaned, we had surgery done for Gretchen's eyes. Unfortunately, the surgery does not necessarily takes on the first try, so her eyes are not totally corrected as yet and will need to have surgery again.

We took Gretchen and the pups to many adoption days before anyone showed any serious interest in her. First because she needed to wean her puppies she could not be placed for a few months. Then with her eyes and non existent coat, she wasn't especially attractive to most lookers. But then one day a family we'd known for quite some time stopped by to visit with their Chows and fell in love with Gretchen. They asked if we'd let them foster her for us. And since we were very short on foster care facilities and we knew they'd be an excellent temporary home for her, we were more than happy to let them take her home with them with their happy brood, but not before we'd given some strong warnings.

Gretchen, as loveable as she is, had a few really bad behavioral problems. When originally rescued, the first thing that she did was to shred a cushion of a wicker chair that was in her room. Not once, but twice! And then there was the problem of her housebreaking. Since she'd been living outside chained up, she was used to messing where she lived and slept...housebreaking her was not to be an easy task. Also, having been food deprived, Gretchen would growl at the other dogs if they were to get too close to her or her dish even when she wasn't eating out of it. So, warnings made and accepted the decision was made. Gretchen was to go to a new home, having already weaned her pups.

Gretchen eventually was fostered by a wonderful family and lived with Bella, their first Chow, and Fox who they adopted from us to be Bella's companion. They adored our Gretchen, and that meant each of the children had their own special Chow! Ultimately, the family decided they wanted to keep Gretchen as their very own girl as well.

Gretchen and her family moved due to their dad having been sent overseas on a new tour of duty. Unfortunately Bella and Gretchen began to set new alpha boundaries and began getting into some really bad fights. Due to the fact that her mom was no longer able to manage alone in that situation, Gretchen returned to live with her original rescuers here in the Washington, D.C. area.

Gretchen was due to return to her family as soon as her dad returned from his station overseas. Unfortunately, 9/11 occurred and that was no longer an option. Consequently, she became a fulltime member of the family here in the area.

We regretfully lost our beloved Gretchen 5/7/05. She was well loved and will be greatly missed. She has left a hole in the lives of those who knew and loved her. Rest in peace sweet girl...we will always remember how you would wiggle the moment you saw your humans and your tremendous smile.