Checkers
A donation was made in memory of Checkers by The Birneys on Jan 04, 2026.
Checkers and I met in September 2014 at an adoption event and I was immediately smitten. I was there as a volunteer with a different rescue than the rescue Checkers was with. Checkers was available for adoption through Mikey’s Chance Canine Rescue. He was there with two of his siblings, Laverne and Shirley, and he was oh so skinny in comparison to his littermates. I inquired with a Mikey’s Chance representative about why he was so skinny, and received a CliffsNotes’ education on megaesophagus. I wanted to bring him home, but we lived in an apartment with our two large dogs and had a two dog maximum at the complex.
Fast forward 18 months and we were in our home. During those months I would watch for Checkers at the adoption events Mikey’s Chance attended so I could visit him. In the summer and fall of 2016 I dogsat him twice after becoming an approved foster for the rescue. In late November 2016 the rescue told us he needed a new foster home and we agreed to foster him long-term. We formally adopted him in December 2021.
Checkers was a unique dog. He had the softest fur with beautiful markings, and the sweetest personality. He loved playing with other dogs and interacting with people. Checkers made an impact on almost everyone he met because of his gentle and social demeanor. Checkers had been on local television news segments several times over the years, and had been the face of two of the rescue's fundraising t-shirt campaigns. He was easily recognizable in the community, and on more than one occasion I was stopped by passersby in public. They would ask if that was Checkers, and when I told them it was they would shower him with affection and sometimes take photos with him. He ate the attention up. Sadly, he developed esophageal cancer and passed away in August 2023. He was in our home just shy of seven years. What I wouldn’t give for more time with my best boy. All the additional care his condition required only strengthened our bond. To Mikey’s Chance Canine Rescue, I’d like to thank you for entrusting us to be his foster and adoptive family. I’d also like to recognize that a lot of rescues are not in a position to take in medically needy dogs like Checkers. He may have been Mikey’s first megaesophagus dog, but he certainly wasn’t their last. And a big thank you to WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and Dr. Jillian Haines, for including him in your megaesophagus research as well as for caring for our boy at the end.
Fast forward 18 months and we were in our home. During those months I would watch for Checkers at the adoption events Mikey’s Chance attended so I could visit him. In the summer and fall of 2016 I dogsat him twice after becoming an approved foster for the rescue. In late November 2016 the rescue told us he needed a new foster home and we agreed to foster him long-term. We formally adopted him in December 2021.
Checkers was a unique dog. He had the softest fur with beautiful markings, and the sweetest personality. He loved playing with other dogs and interacting with people. Checkers made an impact on almost everyone he met because of his gentle and social demeanor. Checkers had been on local television news segments several times over the years, and had been the face of two of the rescue's fundraising t-shirt campaigns. He was easily recognizable in the community, and on more than one occasion I was stopped by passersby in public. They would ask if that was Checkers, and when I told them it was they would shower him with affection and sometimes take photos with him. He ate the attention up. Sadly, he developed esophageal cancer and passed away in August 2023. He was in our home just shy of seven years. What I wouldn’t give for more time with my best boy. All the additional care his condition required only strengthened our bond. To Mikey’s Chance Canine Rescue, I’d like to thank you for entrusting us to be his foster and adoptive family. I’d also like to recognize that a lot of rescues are not in a position to take in medically needy dogs like Checkers. He may have been Mikey’s first megaesophagus dog, but he certainly wasn’t their last. And a big thank you to WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and Dr. Jillian Haines, for including him in your megaesophagus research as well as for caring for our boy at the end.
