Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of having a big dog. As soon as I bought my first house with a big yard I went to the Animal shelter looking for a German Sheppard.  I was walking down the kennels when a young Rottweiler noticed me.  He stuck his paw outside and started crying desperate for human attention. I looked at him closely he had scars everywhere, his ear was almost torn off from a dog fight and you could count his ribs. It broke my heart. He adopted me then and there.  I paid for all the medical bills and few days later took him home.

I was thinking I must be crazy to get a powerful dog that I don't know, who was obviously aggressive to be in a separate cage with scars all over his body. It turned out he was more scared of me -- obviously from a previous abuse.  Every time I raised my voice he would lay down on his back and starts shaking.  Quite a pair we made -- a owner who is afraid of his dog and a dog who is afraid of his owner --  but it was love of first sight.  Rex immediately became my shadow. He was always in my feet always behind my back looking for reflections he could chase.  He was so loyal, so gentle, so sensitive, so loving.  I found a deeper appreciation for this breed. I don't think I have ever had a dog like that.  We developed a special bond.

A few years later I met my husband at the dog park, he had a little Jack Russell with the same name -- Rex.  That's how Rex became Big Rex and now we had little Rex.  People always ask me "why do you have 2 dogs with the same name?"  Big Rex and Little Rex became inseparable.  And then the kids came.  Big Rex was always at my side guarding and making sure no one got out of line.  Rough play wasn't allow in our house and yet he would allow the kids to jump on him and stretch his lips to take his toys away and brush him and pour water on his back.  So patient and so understanding.  So strong and yet so gentle. 

Every night he would go to bed with his toys.  He had one toy that was extra special -- Squeaky -- the only toy who never got destroyed.  Squeaky was his baby. If you stepped on Squeaky, he would cry, if you dropped it, he would make sure Squeaky was ok. After all these years of being married, my husband still couldn't take Big Rex for a walk without me. Even if you wave a steak in front of his nose, he wouldn't leave my side unless I am coming. Maybe we had this special connection because I saved him from the dog pound. I don't know.

We miss you so much Big dog.  I miss your  singing with the fire trucks, I miss you begging for cookies, I miss you asking to play with the laser pointer, I miss you smelling like rosemary, I miss you in my feet, I miss you shaking the bed at night.  Thank you for giving me the best 8 years of my life. Rest in peace.