ADAMS TWP — A dog once scheduled to be euthanized for “play aggression” now appears in Workman Publishing's annual 365 Dogs calendar.

Chief, a 10-year-old German shepherd mix pictured on the Feb. 23 page of the calendar, lived to earn his spot thanks to his owners, Randy and Suzanne Hanovick.

Suzanne said she first met Chief a decade ago, when he was the puppy of a resident at an apartment complex she managed.

“He was so precious,” Hanovick recalled.

Three days after meeting Chief, she saw the resident without the dog. The man told Hanovick the then-10-month-old dog had been returned to the shelter because of his aggressive style of play.

Upset and shocked, Hanovick went to the shelter to inquire about the black and brown dog with whom she had felt an immediate and indescribable connection. But the shelter employees would not let her see Chief.

“I said, 'I've got to see him. I'm going to adopt him,'” Hanovick said.

But the shelter workers explained that because he had been returned to the shelter three times, Chief was scheduled to be euthanized.

Hanovick returned with her husband, who was also unsuccessful in convincing the shelter employees that they should allow the couple to adopt Chief.

The couple promised they would collaborate with a dog obedience facility in Wexford and provided a note from their veterinarian stating the Hanovicks would follow the obedience facility's instructions in training Chief.

“After one and a half months of begging and pleading and crying, Chief got to come home with us on Feb. 21, 2006,” Hanovick said. “He's been the most fabulous dog anyone could ever have.”

She said the couple does not wrestle or play roughly with the 96-pound dog, takes him to obedience training consistently and exercises him by walking him six days per week.

Chief has never shown aggression to anyone, and earned his Canine Good Citizen award, Hanovick said. She said he is also certified with Therapy Dogs International.

She admits she and her husband, and their cat, Chuckie, are completely taken with Chief and treat him like a king.

Chief gets an hour massage each morning, is fed a chicken breast, two cans of green beans, and high-quality dog food every day, and receives only grain-free treats.

When Hanovick's Jeep broke down a few years ago, she worried it would happen again while carrying Chief, who goes everywhere with her.

“I said, 'My boy is not going to be uncomfortable in any vehicle,'” Hanovick said, “so I bought a new Toyota FJ Cruiser, and it's totally outfitted for my dog.”

She said Chief arrived at the right time, as her mother died in 2000, and her brother was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2003.

“That's when Chief came into my life and turned my life around,” Hanovick said. “He's my everything.”

In selecting a 2015 dog calendar, which she buys every year, Hanovick noticed a form inside where owners could nominate their dogs for the following year's calendar.

She filled out the form online and sent it to Workman Publishing in New York at the last minute. Hanovick didn't think Chief's photo and information went through.

Earlier this month, she received notice that she had a package at the post office. Hanovick was thrilled to open up the 2016 Workman calendar with a letter saying Chief appeared inside.

“I jumped up and started crying and I said, 'I thought it never went through!'” Hanovick said.

John Blum, the photo editor from Workman Publishing in New York City, said he received about 30,000 entries for the 2016 calendar. Blum works with the calendar's writer to select the 365 dogs for the calendar.

He said it was Hanovick's written submission detailing her fight to save Chief, plus the attention lavished on him, that tipped the scales in Chief's favor for selection.

“Through the love and care of his owner, Chief was transformed from a dog that was once considered aggressive into a highly trained therapy dog with a gentle disposition,” Blum said. “This story is not only a happy ending, but might inspire people to adopt from a local shelter.”

Hanovick said one week before receiving the package at the post office, she was shopping for a 2016 dog calendar but didn't buy one because she couldn't decide between the multibreed Workman calendar and one featuring only German shepherds.

“If I would have opened (the Workman calendar) up and saw Chief, I would have died,” she said.

Blum said he and the calendar's writer must select good photos coupled with interesting subject matter when choosing the winning dogs.

He said theme weekends, breeds, holidays, “Mutts of the Month” and dogs that have an inspiring story of rescue or overcoming health issues were chosen for the 2016 calendar.

“I think one of the reasons the 365 Dogs Calendar is so popular is because all of the photos are taken by the dogs' owners, and therefore they capture moments that would never be possible in a photographer's studio,” Blum said.

He said Workman Publishing first printed the calendar, which started out as the Dog and Cat Page-a-Day Calendar, 30 years ago.

The Hanovicks have ordered 32 of the calendars to distribute to family and friends.

Hanovick said dogs should be treated as members of the family, which is how the Hanovicks view Chief.

“We don't have kids, so he is definitely the child,” Hanovick said. “I wish every dog could live Chief's life.”