Indulge me, if you will, while I mourn the loss of my very best friend and thank whichever ancestor decided it was a good idea to domesticate wolves.

Chase Leonard was born 1 Jun 1998 under a rundown porch outside of Portland, Oregon. Her parents were of pit bull and Labrador extraction, her mother being a bitch and her father a bastard. Chase was rescued from these sordid conditions at the age of six weeks and adopted by Julie and Richard Leonard of Seattle, Washington, where she lived until her death on Thursday.

While the name is generally associated with dogs of the male persuasion, Chase acquired her moniker by bolting through the front door at every opportunity. Inevitably, a brisk chase would ensue. She lost a short battle with cancer on 10 Sept 2009, but her tail wagged and her bark sounded right to the bitter end.

A gentle soul with a heart as big as all outdoors, she was often teased by the other puppies for giving her (pit bull) breed a bad name. The Fourth of July was Chase’s worse nightmare.

A bonifide member of the Canine Olympic Swimming Team, Chase was also well traveled, having spent many a day in the back of a Jeep Cherokee as it toured the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Yellowstone National Park, and the Grand Tetons.

Her favorite place of all, however, was home sweet home, with her head on her Momma’s lap or her Daddy’s shoulder, snoozing away a rainy Seattle Sunday afternoon.

Chase outlived all of her siblings by more than a decade, never married and never had any puppies of her own. She is survived by her two grieving humans, a boyfriend and dozens of loving friends and neighbors. She will be missed. Her ashes will be spread on Lake Washington a week from today.

[Damn, the blog is getting downright morbid! This post will only remain for a day or two before we move on, but seriously, don't you wish your ancestors had told you about their pets?]