Janie Jones, 1996-2008, was the first addition to our first house. We rescued her from a Rottweiler rescue in Chicago, and she lived a full and happy life as family member, playmate, and protector of the house. My son, now 3-1/2, must have his earliest memories of her massive face looking over the edge of his crib. She was unflinching in her love and loyalty to our son, never letting him out of her sight right until the end. She endured pulled ears, attempted horsey rides, and the rest without complaint. When her back end finally gave out, and I had to make that one-way, nighttime trip to the emergency vet, I held her head and whispered in her ear, "Thank you girl...thank you," while she passed over. My wife told our son she's living with God so she won't hurt anymore, and now any time we drive by a church he asks, "Can we go in and see her?" I tell him he'll see her again, but not for a very, very long time.

The house felt empty, sad, and most of all not safe anymore. So we rescued TWO dogs. JD and Harley are 1-1/2-year-old brothers who were raised together since birth, and were raised around small children. The rescue folks guessed Doberman/Rottweiler, but all we can see is Doberman--the stance, the alertness, the way they flow through the house silently. Inside the house, they are big teddy bears, sleeping on each other, sleeping with us or our son on the bed. Outside is a different story. They walk splendidly on a lead one at a time, but walked in tandem they get cocky, and go after other dogs, small animals, etc. Together, the 150 lbs. of pure muscle is nearly more than I can handle. But it's only been two weeks, and we'll be working on that!

Anyway, that's my little pack/family, both here and gone. They are honored to join the crew, and they definitely have the backs of the ones who are pure at heart.

Thanks for letting me share,
Arch Deluxx