Gaylen had for years claimed not to be fond of dogs. After several years of threatening to bring home a puppy, he finally said I could if…. I looked half-heartedly for the next several years. On one of many trips to the Humane Society I walked by a red pup with a white blaze which ended at a small upside down heart on top of her nose. The label read “Staffordshire mix” and I refused to consider it. No Pitbull mixes for me! My five year old grandson pulled me by my shirt-talil to the window this pup was behind and demanded I look at this one. What a pretty little girl she was. We played for a few minutes and I knew this was the one. Gaylen said to bring her home if I was determined to do so.

Within days Sissy became extremely ill to the point of death. After trips to the vets office, a vet tech. at our church overheard that Gaylen was home sitting with our sick puppy. She followed me home and after a quick exam, recomended that we allow her to take her in to be put on IVs. Gaylen held that puppy, towels, and blankets for hours on end. Without going into detail I will say she is alive and very well. However, she does have seperation anxiety and to comfort her, we would borrow my daughter’s Boston Terrier to babysit.

On our 4oth anniverary Gaylen bought me my own in- house baby-sitter, Ruby is a whopping 11.5 pounder. Ruby tackles Sissy (30+ lbs) and Sis rolls onto her back and rocks Ruby back and forth forth. Sis goes absolutely everywhere with Gaylen. She’s a great girl and so very obedient and gentle with everyone. She’s afraid of everything from shadows on the wall at night (she sits and barks once, waits and barks again once until I get up and escort her to her bed) to Gaylen if he stands at the top of the stairs. (There might be stranger danger!, and she will not go up to see. Ruby, the Boston terror, is a delight as well. She’s a clown and a sneak but loves her family and we love her. Gaylen
cried as we read your book. His comment as we finished it was, “I don’t think you really know how to love until you’ve loved a dog.”

Gayla from KS