In the Summer of 2001, I almost died. Really. My name is Judge, and my original owner left me and two of my friends tied to a rock. They moved and left us with no food or water. I can't remember how long I went without water, but when animal control picked us up and took us to the shelter in rural Virginia, I went into convulsions because of heat stroke. They gave me intravenous fluids and lots of love and I made it through the night.

I was pretty happy about that, and it made me a really excited dog! I was so excited, in fact, that my first adopted family brought me back to Pet Harbor because I was "uncontrollable." Hah! Can you imagine that? All I really needed was some obedience training!! Pet Harbor (See my biography.) and their friends worked with me and in January 2002, my new mom, Trish, came to pick me up. She even brought me a friend!! Wendy, a Boxer/English Setter mix, is about my age and was energetic enough to keep up with me! WooHoo!! We played together, and when Trish opened the door to her minivan, I jumped right in. I think I jumped right into her heart, too. At first, I tested her patience. And, I tested my daddy's patience, too. I know that because I used to hear them arguing over me. Mommy won, thankfully, 'cause I'm a good boy now, and Daddy and I get along just fine.

When Mommy brought me home, I weighed 55 pounds. Now, I weigh a whopping 85 pounds. It helps that I get two meals a day. I even get a raw egg with breakfast every morning!! YUM!! Wendy and I have a nice big backyard to play in and a kiddie pool where I can cool myself. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the leader of my new pack, a Rottweiler named Alex. She let me know right away that she was the boss around there. I'm a pretty smart dog, so it didn't take me long to learn she was right. Mommy and Daddy also have a cat! Boy, do I love to chase her around!! She's fat & needs the exercise so that makes it ok, right? Unfortunately, I'm not allowed around the ferrets. I accidentally tried to eat one. It wasn't my fault though, he jumped right up into my mouth and then tried to blame it on me. Now, Mommy, won't let me near the ferret room. BAH! Stupid ferrets.

Well, I'm gonna' go chase some squirrels -- uhhh, I mean, go run around the backyard. Yeah.. that's right. Me 'n' Wendy are gonna' run around for a bit.

Judge Garlow