...our horse...ah...er...dog....

Heathcliff!


A dog named Heathcliff, you ask?? And you thought Heathcliff was a cat's name! Well, read on to find out exactly where that name comes from. And then you can decide for yourself if you want to join Nathan in scoffing at me for naming such a big, beautiful DOG this name!

There is an interesting story behind Heathcliff's presence in our house. I've always been drawn to the German Shepherd Dog (GSD) breed. But because we'd always had labs, we never thought we'd really branch out into having any other sort of breed. So here is where Heathcliff's story begins:

On my birthday, 2004, These two "hooligans" showed up on Ginger's doorstep:

Now if two big German Shepherds showed up on your doorstep, what would you do? Freak out? Not Ginger! In fact, she made friends of them -- back then, she lived out in a more rural part of town, so two dogs just 'showing up' actually wasn't all THAT uncommon for her. But these were two big, beautiful dogs that looked like they had been a little hungry for a while. The best we could figure, somebody dropped them off and left them.

So G called me -- Her dog did not like these dogs so well. They would bark at each other through her fence, but as long as the two GSD's were no trouble, she didn't mind letting them sleep on her front porch. Nathan and I wanted to keep them at our house, but we didn't think we had the room for 3 big dogs in the house - and our fence had been torn down by a tornado the year before (and the landlord hadn't seen fit to fix it). So it was a no-go for bringing them to the house till we could find a home for them. Here are a few pics of Heathcliff from G's house:

A very small65 pounds (considering that he is now "just right" at 110 pounds!!)

Once the 2 dogs got used to their surroundings, they began getting brave...they would leave for hours at a time, always to return -- but having gotten into trouble while they were out. On one sunny morning, Ginger heard gunshots and ran out to see the dogs tearing back up to her house. The man welding the gun came up and said that the dogs had begun bothering his chickens.

So there was nothing to do for these two dogs except take them to the Animal Shelter. They had a better chance surviving there, than they did if that man got after them with a gun again!

This next part is a really long story, but I'm going to sum it up in a paragraph. Oh wait, first -- their names (YES, I named them - it's been a bad habit of mine since childhood - name the stray). Heathcliff & Catherine (or Cathy). Game Time: Where did these names come from -- and WHY did I choose them for these two dogs?? Only people who have not previously gotten the explanation may play the game. First person to get it right will win a pair of earrings from The Princess and the Bee.

Anyway - Heathcliff & Cathy had to stay at the Animal Shelter for several days, to make sure their owner wasn't looking for them. After that, they would undergo temperament testing to make sure they were adoptable. Some accuse me of having a bleeding heart when it comes to animals. Maybe they're right, but I couldn't stop myself from calling to check on HC & Cathy during their stay at the Animal Shelter. I was also in constant contact with the German Shepherd rescue in Montgomery. I was on a first name basis with anyone who had a hand in saving these two dogs' lives.

Well, one day I called and found out that their temperament testing was done and that they were both pretty good dogs, but the Animal Shelter only had the room to keep one of them. They were going to put the other to sleep.

I asked which one.

You guessed it, Heathcliff.

The reason? Cathy was more characteristic of a GSD. Heathcliff was too passive. So before I could stop myself, I asked that if we were willing to take Heathcliff, would they let us -- instead of putting him to sleep? I receive a call later that day saying that would be fine (I later found out that Cathy had also been adopted out - although her name is no longer Cathy). I think I even entertained some grandiose idea of taking him home and fostering him till someone else wanted to adopt him.

The problem was that once we got him home, he did REALLY well. He and Gracie became best of friends, very quickly (truth be told, I think Grace was in need of a friend of her own species). He had his moments, but he just fit into our little world perfectly.

People thought (still think??) we're crazy - and yes, we have entertained the idea of finding him a new home, especially when this happened:

But the truth is, the good has WAY outweighed the bad in this dog. And I kid you not, I think if anything happened to him, Gracie would probably die. And vice versa.

So that is Heathcliff. This year, he will have been with us for 3 years - according to the vet, he's getting on up there in doggie years - but hopefully he's got a good long while left with us!! And for him, I guess living with us beats what could've been!Just a few more pictures before I go:

Big boy! Almost 40 lbs. heavier than when he first came to us!

Heathcliff's first Christmas with us

Third Christmas (helping me bake)

Unlike with Gracie, I can't guarantee that you would LOVE Heathcliff if you met him - he has a wet nose and really, he is HUGE. But he has turned out to be a great dog, and we can't imagine what life was ever like before he came to us!