I love that Chows are independent in nature and some are very cat-like while others are very shy of strangers. This is not a bad thing, it only means you must socialize these chows more than others. If treated properly and if you UNDERSTAND the breed then these dogs make the BEST lifelong companions.

I will tell you all about Chance shortly, but first I want you to meet the Chow who started it all for me!

Carla's Little Buddy

This boy came to me when he was 6 weeks old. He was very independent even at this age. He grew into a very regal, confident gentleman.

He absolutely loved his little kitty, Pooter who came to our house as a stray. They were constant companions and loved to play with each other.

Buddy was not one to have his hair out of place! He absolutely loved being groomed as he would bring me his brush.

We had our own routine for grooming and Buddy is the one who taught me. He would sit in front of me and extend one paw to be brushed then the other. He would then stand sideways and I would brush one side and he would turn so I could brush the other. Buddy was very cat-like, he wouldn't get his paws wet for anything! But get him near the ocean and he was the first in!!

Buddy went everywhere with me! He was my best friend! Down here in the Keys a lot of places allow you to bring your dogs. Here's Buddy at the Hog's Breath Saloon getting ready to feast!

He loved the players at the Sunset Pier! This is my friend Dennis Reilly, The Southernmost Bagpipe Player, and Buddy checking out the pipes, or is it the skirt???

Buddy was a very well-mannered boy, I could take him anywhere. He loved adventure!! Here we are on a friend's boat, he sure looks like he belongs there!!!

We did a lot of traveling together, Buddy and I. Here he is standing on the wall on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

Buddy was a shaded-red, very moderate chow. By moderate, we mean, that there are several "types" of Chows. He had a very open face, no wrinkles, and was slender and lighter in bone, not heavy boned. There are only 5 colors in the chow breed, black, red, cinnamon, cream, and blue and each of these colors may have variations but are still within the 5 colors. Buddy being a shaded-red meant that he had blonde shadings in his mane and tail mostly.

Buddy and I went through obedience school together when he was 6 years old. It was a very good, rewarding experience for the both of us, that all my babies both present and future will attend. Not only does it help with any "existing" problems, it teaches you, the handler, the correct way to fix it. It also teaches you how to handle your dog! There is nothing better than a well-mannered, well-behaved companion!!

I am sure you have noticed that I have been speaking in the past tense here. Well, I am very sorry to say that I lost my beloved friend in February 1998 to cancer. But he was a trooper to the end. He couldn't take the steroids to help shrink the tumors, so I opted for chemotherapy. He did so well on it! He never got sick or lost his appetite, he only lost his undercoat. He was such a hit at the vet's office taking it all in stride like the Champ that he was!

When the time came to let him go, I was there with him and my last words to him were, "I love you and will see you in Heaven."

My Buggy-butt, was such a ham and because of him I came up with the name HiFiven Chows. One day as a baby my dad came to visit and Buddy wasn't very sure of this big man in his house, so he sat on my feet and my dad sat in a chair next to us. We were talking and then my dad just reached down and said to Buddy, "Give me five!" and darn if Buddy didn't reach up with a paw and slap my dad's hand! After that he would give me a low five then sit up on his haunches and I'd say, "Give me a High five!" and he would reach up as high as he could and slap my hand!! He was the BEST! May we be together forever!!