Sounds like the first line of a Toby Keith song, doesn't it? Well, they're also three of my favorite things. Last month, my family had to say good-bye to a member of our family. For nine and a half years, Duchess was the guardian and unconditional love giver to the Bush clan. Although my boys could ride her like a horse and enjoy rough housing without fear of being mauled, unannounced visitors of shea-Bush would take pause before entering a home protected by a 120-pound Rotty. You were loved and will be missed Duchie. Upon hearing of our loss, John Wyatt reminded me of a past article titled "Drywall Dogs." For those of you who missed it, here is a snippet from the March 2002 article:
"Every bona fide drywall contractor has a dog, and the drywall dog is the definition of man's best friend. It's said that to be a true drywaller, you must be in possession of a truck, a Budweiser and a dog. If the dog has a limp or missing limb, that's a badge of job site experience. If the dog wears a bandana, that is further validation that you've spent years in the trade. If the Budweiser wears a bandana, you should see a psychiatrist."
Anyone with a dog has a dog story. We've all run into the folks who start these stories that seem to commence at the dog's conception, complete with lineage or pedigree, and chart the dog's daily movements. These are the same people who would probably have no appreciation for the quality of a pound dog. They'd rather have AKC papers, presumably to prove the dog's worth but we'd have to guess that these people are uncomfortable with their own heritage.