A Delightful New Friendship

She walked in the front doors of the building and pranced on in like she owned the place. Friendly as she could be and without hesitation came right up to me as I came into the room. Her beautiful long coat with light soft brown, black and white colors and her dark brown eyes peering at me as though to say, “I’m yours, right?” To think I almost considered this offer of taking her home not an option.

Working in the outdoor industry it was just a matter of time before I would find me a good hiking dog. For now, the hours I was spending at work made it more and more out of the question. Then came the day when my boss, Robin, called me asking if I wanted to take in a stray. Many things crossed my mind; first, I was renting a room in a small house with a roommate in the mountains in Evergreen, Colorado. With no real yard for her to run and play in as it was on a hill right up to the road. This place would not allow room for a dog to stay while I was at work. Also, I considered the cost of taking care of a dog. I could barely keep up with my own bills let alone take on a dog’s expenses. Another concern was that I worked such long hours that it would be unfair to the dog, not to mention I was an Air Force Reservist and had to serve one weekend a month and two full weeks in the summer and would have to make dog-sitting arrangements during my time away.

My boss persisted and asked if I would just look at her when she brings her in to work. I agreed, but in my mind thinking, probably not. Later that morning Robin arrived with the dog. She was a small Sheltie with a beautiful soft coat. “Oh my”, I thought, “this could be difficult”. Now, the real question; why is Robin needing to find her a home and where did she come from? Turns out, as Robin explained, when she was driving up I-70 from the foothills of Denver she noticed a stray dog off the side of the road wandering very close to the busy interstate. She immediately pulled over and went to rescue her from possibly getting hit. After that she tried to find her home. The dog didn’t have on a collar, so she had really nothing to go on but searched the area she was wandering and went to the homes near where she was found. No one knew her owner and no one recognized her. She then decided to take her home and post an ad in the paper (yes, back in the early 90s people made a phone call to the local newspaper and read their post over the phone while someone on the other end typed it up and the ad would be in the paper the following week). A few weeks went by, and no one responded, and no reports of a missing Sheltie were coming up. Robin was in a dilemma. She too was very busy and didn’t have time to take in a dog. This is when she decided to ask me. She was the one who helped me find my roommate so she knew him and knew he had a small dog which would be fine if there was another dog in the house.

The dog came right up to me with an enthusiasm and sweetness, it was hard to believe she was found on the interstate alone with no owner or collar to indicate she had a home. She rested her adorable long nose on my lap as I sat down to pet her. She looked up at me with those pleading eyes. Did I mention what a sucker I am with dogs? I grew up with dogs and loved them like a family member. I even got my own dog shortly after moving back from my military training to my hometown. Unfortunately, that dog didn’t stay with me as my then roommate demanded I get rid of her. It was her place, so sadly I had to let her go. Fortunately, I did find her a good home with a good size yard. This came to mind as I was stroking this Sheltie’s soft hair. I didn’t want to face that same situation. I also didn’t want to see this dog go to the pound. I was torn. Then my boss did the unthinkable. She said I could bring her to work with me. What? Who does that? What boss allows that? Okay, I was in!

Fast forward a few months, my new dog, Chelsea became my inseparable sidekick! She went everywhere with me. She was trainable and already knew the basic commands to be obedient and such a great dog. She learned the fun tricks too, like the classic handshake and roll over. Often, I could just give her an expression on my face, and she would know what I wanted from her. We were best friends now. She charmed everyone who met her. I worked at a backpacking manufacturing plant, and she would follow me to the back when I needed to talk with the workers in the repair/warranty department and do the shipping. They always got excited when they saw me coming because they knew Chelsea would be with me. She cheered everyone up. She didn’t need a leash, she just followed me. She was my shadow. She would become the company’s mascot and would model for the design team when trying out new dog packs. At lunch we would take the trail up the mountain just outside the company, sit and eat lunch at an overlook above Golden and the valley, taking in the views together. She became the best hiking buddy I could want. We made many wonderful memories together and Chelsea was loved by everyone. Robin’s husband who was the CEO of the company would question me on days I left Chelsea at home – usually because of an appointment I had before or after work. “Where is Chelsea?” he would ask. I would explain my reasons, but he would tell me I couldn’t come to work unless she came too. He was joking of course - I think!

On our way to work I would be driving along with the music playing and singing in my out of tune way and I noticed Chelsea’s expression was one of concern, pain maybe. So, I, in a high pitch, would call to her, “Sing Chelsea, sing!” and she would begin to howl and together we would sing our way to work.

Soon after she came into my life, I moved closer to Denver in a community with a park nearby. The apartment had a small backyard, so she had a little outside space while at home. When we got home from work on short days, I would take her with me rollerblading. She loved it and we would cruise down the sidewalk or park trails. One time we were crossing a very busy intersection, when we proceeded too late, and the cars began to move forward before we got all the way across. I landed on top of the hood of a car, and they slammed on the brakes which made me slide off the front of the vehicle. Chelsea was on a leash and went under the vehicle. My heart dropped when I realized what had happened. Thankfully and by some miracle she was unharmed. We made our way to the side of the road where my mom was witnessing the whole incident play out. She was shocked at what just happened and amazed it wasn’t worse. We sat there in the grass calming ourselves down. The driver of the vehicle asked if we were okay and I smiled and said yes and motioned them on, feeling very embarrassed and at fault for crossing too late.

On other occasions, when not getting into accidents, we would play hide and seek at the apartment. My mother was my roommate at this time after a recent divorce with my dad so she would help with Chelsea when I had to go to the Air Force Base once a month and serve the two-week annual tours in the summer. I introduced backpacking to my mom who already had the camping thing mastered. We grew up exploring the campgrounds of southern Colorado practically every weekend at times while living in the state. My mom had never gone on a backpacking trip, so she agreed to try it. The backpacking company I worked for was helpful to equip us with the gear we needed. So, my mom, Peppy (our dog since my teen years), Chelsea and I headed up the trail in a beautiful area that would not be so steep for my mom’s first time. I noticed the herding instincts in Chelsea as she would run circles around us on our hike up the trail. It was comical and I would lose count of the number of circles she made. I think Peppy was confused by her antics.

On another backpacking trip with a friend, I remember coming within five feet of a bear in hibernation above Flathead Lake in Montana. My friend, Kyle who was down below the cliff looking up, called out loudly, “What do you see?” Surprisingly, Chelsea never noticed the bear while she was perched on the rock ledge beside me when I happened to look down at the claw sticking out from under a rock. The wind was blowing in the direction away from us, so this may have been why she didn’t pick up the scent of this living creature resting so peacefully. I tried to hush Kyle by waving my hands and using body language, rather than using my voice, so as not to wake the sleeping bear. I carefully guided Chelsea and I back in the direction we came, and we got the heck out of there as we did not want to become the bear’s first meal!

I have so many great adventures with my buddy, Chelsea. It would be hard to narrow it down to just one memory that stood out. From hiking the San Juan mountains in Colorado, traveling cross-country to Virginia to visit family and back, and exploring Glacier National Park in Montana, she would become the best decision I almost didn’t make. Sometimes we must reach beyond the excuses and what-if’s and take a chance with our furry friends. It may just enrich our lives.