Our Four Legged Members of the Family

This is Laredo.

Is she sweet or what? Laredo is a long time member of my family, before I met Mike, before little guy came along, before I even knew she'd be mine she belonged to my family. My parents found her running through one of the busiest intersections in Lexington, KY. She was ducking in and out of traffic and was going to either get hit or cause an accident if someone did not catch her quickly. My parents along with a few other folks got her caught and when no one knew what to do with her my parents took her home. They tried to find her owners, but based on the lack of a collar or tags, the fact that no one responded to the fliers or called the shelters looking for her, the fact that there were lots of apartments around where she was found pretty much left us knowing she had been abandoned when someone moved.

She was a young dog at that time, probably about 1-2 years at most. She was already house trained and has never been a barker. In fact, if she barks it kind of freaks me out as I know something really strange is going on. She is nervous around feet and will never let herself get caught 'underfoot.' My guess is that someone thought she was for kicking when she was a puppy. She is really a perfect dog and it is my gain that someone else thought she was worthless.

Laredo playing on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Laredo lived in Kentucky with my parents for a few years. When I bought my first house they tried to talk me into taking her as a companion. I already had a cat and didn't know if I wanted two animals in the house. However, they pointed out how small she is and that she is so sweet and why don't I just try her for a few weeks? How do you argue with that?

Since then she has been a resident of Wisconsin. Laredo is one of those dogs that attracts attention wherever she goes, but she doesn't really care for it. People want to know what type of dog she is and where they can get one like her. My answer is always that we have no idea and they should rescue a dog! She is a good traveler, keeps her distance from kids since she isn't a big fan of them and gives the cat a wide berth. She was my comfort as I drove to my parent's home after my sister died and has been my encouragement to go for more walks than I would have without her.

When Mike joined our lives she fell in love with him faster than I did. I figure its a good sign when your dog loves a guy! She has taken to our new lives and new family members really well and has done her part to drive away the bunny population in this neighborhood. Laredo LOVES to chase bunnies and has killed a few, along with a ground hog that wasn't much smaller than she. For all her froo-froo looking she is actually a mighty huntress under all that hair.

Laredo at Seven Bridges Park.

Laredo is such a sweetie and a joy of a dog. It is hard to think of life without her and hopefully we will not have to for a long time! Laredo is such a good dog that it is hard for me to deal with dogs who have bad manners. We have another dog, Pugsley and he is a great dog in his own right, but he has issues that I've never had with her. I am so grateful that someone else didn't realize what a gem they had. She has lived the life a princes (a bunny hunting, swimming in the lake princess) and has brought more joy to people than she knows.

Heather