If anyone wonders "why rottydaddy?" here's why...
Peg is my best pal, ball and chain, footwarmer, spill-cleaner-upper, and guaranteed babe magnet . I got her from a shelter about 7 yrs. ago, when she was about 2.  She'd been there almost a year, after being brought in by the police. She was suffering from mange, had a litter of pups in her belly just about ready to pop, and she'd been hit by a car. Her left front leg was fractured clean thru in about 7 places. Well, she lost the leg... started chewing the toes off as it healed, so the vet decided to spare her any more pain and inconvenience by removing it at the shoulder. I think she knew instinctively it would never heal right, and the vet made the right call too. Good news: the mange cleared up, she whelped 5 healthy pups who all were found new homes within a week, and eventually, after being pampered and spoiled by the wonderful staff at the shelter, she stole my heart after a co-worker dragged me there to see her ("But I don't want a dog!"....."This dog is for you, I just know it!!").
  Here she is on our first camping trip together in Vermont... underweight, weak, and very anxious about being separated from the only family she'd ever had-  but also very eager to go hiking and sniff everything with me, her new friend.

In no time at all, Peg bulked up to 75 lbs. and proved herself a real trouper. She can't go too far in hot weather, but on a cool day, she's full of energy. Look at her tearing through the snow!!


What was she after? The only toy that interests her- a tennis ball.



I've earned a little extra money over the years hiring ol' Peg out for DNA research (just kidding; it's a Halloween costume).



Here she is doing what she does best. Peg can get comfy anywhere: on gravel, in mud, in snow, on concrete, you name it. She's pretty well-behaved, too- almost never barks, doesn't chew the furniture, and gets along swell with everybody, even the resident cat here at the loft in Newark.




Although well-housebroken, Peg is famous for her farts. She's won the coveted "Golden Gasmask" award several years running for her artistry in creating such masterpieces as the Couch-Clearer, the Summer Landfill, Le Bombe Surprise, The Dead Possum,  Agent Brown, and the particularly potent DefCon 1!! People are often so impressed by Peg's olfactory sensations that they leap up and run off to tell someone all about it (at least thet's what I think they're leaping up for).
 

Yeah, I'm glad i got saddled with this crazy dog. She may not be pedigreed, but she's the best breed you can find: a shelter dog!!!



Near the levee in the Algiers district of New Orleans, Dec. 2001.... "where we goin' now, daddy??"

Peg has melted many indifferent hearts in her day; I really have to get a picture of her "But...  why? Why did you stop scratching my heinie?" looks one of these days. Those eyes, that furrowed brow... it's too much. She's just a big quivering bowl of sweetness, she is. .. never snarls or snaps except in self-defense, or if another animal approaches her food bowl. It's funny how some people will cross the street to avoid her, even with her tongue lolling out and that little nubby tail wagging. I put such people in two categories: those who were frightened by a dog once as a child, and those with larceny in their hearts.  She got the name at the shelter, and I agreed it was perfect; a fine German girl's name . Regarding the shelter dog thing: I've found that these lost souls are usually so grateful for the stability and warmth of a good home, and so responsive to love and gentle discipline that they usually make excellent pets. Some never quite get over their hangups (usually due to extreme neglect or abuse), but if they find just one Alpha-figure they feel comfortable with, they are very happy, for the most part.

Aha! I suspected that was the case (can't rule out the larceny, though).     The most terrifying encounter I ever had with a dog was  when I made the mistake of trying to corner a very small, seemigly harmless terrier-poodle mix (I had a summer job bathing dogs at a kennel when I was a kid, and he got away from me). It was like the scene with the killer rabbit in "the Holy Grail"- he flew through the air and sank his nasty little fangs into my hand before I could even flinch. Most dogs are insecure  on their own (part of their powerful pack instinct, I guess), and little dogs are usually the worst!! Since then, I've learned to NEVER corner any kind of critter, and when meeting strange dogs I watch their body language very carefully, and mind my own, too. Doing absolutely nothing is best- if they don't come to sniff me and maybe say hello, then I leave them alone.   Your cat story reminds me of my own experiences with cats; I get along OK with most of them, but my favorite was one I literally found on my doorstep one night, a tiny kitten, malnourished and totally covered with fleas. I decided to clean him up and give him room and board for the night, planning to take him to a shelter the next day, but of course by morning I'd decided to keep him. He was a good example of how a cat can actually be trained: I taught him to fetch, and also to come home whenever I rang a little bell near the open window (it was hard work, but I'll be damned if I'm going to play doorman night and day to some haughty cat!!). I could've sworn he thought he was I dog, I had him so well-conditioned.  Sadly, after about 2 years, he vanished the day I left him in my roommate's care to embark on a bicycle tour. He was watching me pack the night before, and must've decided to try to track me when I left, and got lost.