First Posted: 3/11/2015
LIMA — Chance loves a good car ride.
So much, in fact, that the photo submitted of him for the 2015 Lima News’ Cutest Pet Contest shows him riding shotgun in the car.
“He’s always happy,” said Heather Lawrence, of Lima. She and now-fiance Nic Thomas own the three-year-old Golden Retriever/Labrador Retriever mix.
Lawrence said she grew up with pets, so she and Thomas wanted to “bring someone into the family.”
They heard through friends about the litter Chance was in — and they liked that mix of breeds, hearing the pups could be smart — so they decided to visit.
Just to look.
And Chance, the runt of the litter, came home with them that day.
“He’s our little spoiled baby,” Lawrence said, explaining they like to do outdoor activities together. He loves to trail along with them on a leash when they ride bikes.
“Pets just always bring so much joy, I think. They make your life so much better,” Lawrence said.
The Cutest Pet Contest, sponsored by Busy B Realty, had 82 submissions of pet photos this year. Of the voters, 66 percent were female, and 34 percent were male. People also took time to leave 129 comments on the photos this year.
Chance earned 714 votes for cutest pet. The runner-up, Rev. Jack Jack — owned by the Rev. Mathew Jozefiak, of Ottawa — received 640 votes. The third-place pet was Hector, a Westie — owned by Leslie Eaks, of Lima — with 82 votes.
For earning the top spot, Chance and his family were rewarded with $100.
Dawn Arheit, owner/broker of Busy B Realty, explained she has more than 50 pets on her farm.
“I am 100 percent an animal lover,” Arheit said. “They are a part of the family. They don’t add (to the family), they are the family.”
