Happy New Year and A Doggie Spotlight for Chester

Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a festive and joyous holiday season as we now enter into the doldrums of January. But maybe some joy can be found in the cold days ahead as our fur kids snuggle up and keep our toes warm as this winter drags on.

Now it is time for this weeks Doggie Spotlight.
Meet Devin's Fur baby Chester:

"Chester A. Arthur (a.k.a. Mr.Noodle or Noodle) was originally Hayden- we adopted him from RAGOM. He is a 18 month old lab-hound mix, (we're speculating on the hound- he does have hound ears & wrinkles) currently weighing in at 92 lb. He was a long time coming, when we were looking for a place to live, the first condition was that they would take a large dog. We moved in the 1st of October, and we welcomed Chester into our home on October 21st. It took us 2 days to decide that he was a "Chester."
From the moment he arrived he was a little spoiled... OK, a lot spoiled. He always starts out on the floor, but once he realizes that we are too tired/asleep to push him off if he comes up on the bed, and very happy cuddles at my feet. But then, he'll get cold, and comes to the top to nose at the covers, till we hold them up, and he goes under, so just his butt & tail are sticking out.
Two of his favorite places are the dog park (especially the one on the Mississippi River- its like a dog beach!) and the "Zoo". The "Zoo" is my parent's house, where his good friend Sully(German Shepard) lives. Sully was the one that taught Chester how to play. Which meant a lot of reprimanding him for biting too hard- they still play rough, but they have a great time.
Chester suffers from separation anxiety. How this has manifested itself: Chester is an escape artist. This had nothing to do with getting away from us, on the contrary, he tries to get TO us. Chester has broken 2 wire crates to pieces. And after coming home to his mouth being stuck in the caribeaner holding his 3rd kennel's door shut, with his upper canine tooth lying on the floor of the kennel, we decided to try other things to help him be more comfortable(email me if you want some info on ideas). Lately he's been doing great! Once you find something that works, it helps soooo much!
Chester, like many large dogs, seems to forget that he has gotten bigger. As a puppy, he would sit with me in a specific set of chairs. Even now he will attempted to climb up and sit next to me- just like he used to. Unfortunately, he doesn't fit anymore.
Although like with Chester has been a struggle (due to his separation anxiety), we wouldn't trade him for any other dog in the world. He's a great listener, cuddler, nibbler, and kisser (although he's pretty stingy about giving them out!)."