Rob and Dulcie have lived with us a year and a half. My husband used to call them the emergency back up dogs. Our distinguished old gentleman, Champ, was already eleven and the keeper of my heart Keota, a black sheperd mix, had already passed on when we drove to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah to find them.
When she was six Dulcie lost her entire family. Her owner died and her two dog buddies were permanently lost to her. If you know anything about dogs you know that their "pack" literally equals their life. In the wild if you lose your pack it often means death. So when we found her she was afraid and timid. She had been bounced around the foster care system for dogs and suffered abuse. She was petrified of everything.
Dulcie has blossomed into a happy well adjusted fox hound. She still would rather avoid pets from strangers if she can. But with us she actually hugs. She nestles against you and bows her head in what can only be profound gratitude as she gazes deeply with her soft brown eyes right into your soul.
Rob was just a little fluffy ball of black fur. He was sick with some weird virus and just slept in my arms all 850 miles home. It took him months to recover but he is robust and healthy now. His nickname is "Demon". He is part Aussie and Rottie. The Aussie part is precocious, smart, and always trying to herd us. The Rottie part is stubborn and always wanting to push boundaries. We have fallen for his antics and I'm afraid we have spoiled him forever!
So now our "emergency back up dogs" have taken their rightful place in our little family. And though Keota and Champ will always be loved in memory we now have new love that is growing stronger everyday.
