(You can read my biography.) I, Ruben, came from a county shelter where I had been turned in because I was too big for their house. Pet Harbor saved me, and then I was adopted two more times and brought back each time for reasons like, "He escapes and runs too much" or here's the best "He marks my wife when I come into the room." Who believes that? Not me. I could never. I am too good of a boy to be mischievous like that. Haaa, I had you fooled, didn’t I?

Oh, now I have found my favorite home of all. On November 23, 2003, a Pet Harbor volunteer brought me to my new forever home. My new Mommy, Daddy and my new human siblings just adored me. They said they could have never asked for a more beautiful boy. It took me a little time to get used to my new home, and I got a little sick through the night the first night, although Mommy got up and took care of me ands loved me and told me that it was all ok and that I would be safe here. I immediately fell in love with her and followed her everywhere she went. She gives me treats and chews and talks to me. We always go on long walks to try to get my exercise and try to deter me from running.

I ALWAYS sleep in the bed with Mommy and Daddy. They let me take over and be the boss. I try to take Daddy’s spot. And when Daddy comes in I just hide my face in my tail and peek up at him. He says, “Ruben, you know that’s Daddy’s spot” and I just plain ole ignore him. Eventually I give in, but he THINKS he’s gonna sleep next to Mommy. I've got news for him. That is definitely my territory. I just move over a little towards Mommy and snuggle on her. One time I stretched so far I pushed Daddy into the floor. Mommy and I thought it was funny.

I like to play with balls but not too much. Mommy, Daddy or one of my sibling will throw it and I will smack it around a little and that’s just about it. I do the same with a chewy raw hide.

I have a bestest friend besides my Mommy - named Tiger. He is one of those Boxes or Boxer or something like that. I didn’t know a doggy like me could box things. Maybe that’s how he buys me all these neat chewies and things. I don’t know. He comes over all the time and we go to the dog park together. Once he lived with me for about 6 mo. Oh that was the best! I have also had a few foster brothers and a foster sister from Pet Harbor.

Brock was my very first foster brother, he was great. We were kinda two peas in a pod, but he was a little too bossy for my liking. He told me when to eat and when I could go outside. I didn’t like it, and I told him so. We got along most of the time. He found his forever home!

Achilles was such a nice gentleman. He was so playful! We would run and run and run together until we just fell out. He always had this clumsiness about him. He would leap over me as we were running, then trip on his own feet and plant his face in the dirt. What a klutz, but we love him. He finally found his forever home!

Sessa was a GIRL!!! Oh, I love girls. They are the best! I was a little scared to play with her because you know boys. They get a little rough. I was afraid to hurt her. We snuggled together a lot. Sometimes I didn’t like her at night. Mommy and Daddy would go to bed and Sessa would not let me get in bed with them. She would get up there and lay on my Daddy and growl at me. My Mommy said she would fix that. And so she would take Sessa out of the room, and Daddy would get me on the bed. And then Sessa was allowed back in. She would be ok if I beat her to the bed. So I would just stick my tongue out at her and say “Neeener, neeener, neeeeeener.” She found her forever home, too, just like me.

One time Mommy came home from work and I was hurting. I couldn't stand up or anything. So I kept telling Mommy something was wrong and that it hurt badly. She sat in the dining room floor, where I was, and I laid my head in her lap while she called Daddy at work and the doctors. Mommy was crying because she didn’t know what happened or anything. We were both scared. Daddy rushed home and they took me to the Doctor and found out that I had a deteriorating disc in my spine and hip dysplasia. I got all better a few days later and Mommy was so happy! Me too!

My mommy says I am a Houdini. I do ANYTHING I can to get out of the house when no ones home. I can’t be crated because that causes me to escape even more. I have torn Mommy’s curtains, shades, carpet, and especially doors up. I can even turn doorknobs and open doors.

I love my Mommy so much that people always called me her Shadow. I know Mommy and Daddy love me too. Mommy always jokes saying that if she could find a man that ever loves her half as much as I do, then she would have it made. And Daddy just looks at her, and they giggle.

So after a few years of living at my new home, Mommy and Daddy went to their home in Tennessee for Daddy’s high school reunion. They have gone a few times and left me in the care of Eric, one of our family buddies. He loves me, I can tell. Who wouldn’t?

Well, this last time Eric took me on a really long walk and then went to go fishing. Well, I decided to open the back door and go for a run. Eventually I got caught, and then these scary men that were wearing clothes like Daddy came and got me and put me in a crate in the back of a pickup. Somehow I broke out and jumped out of the truck. These scary people I don’t know kept chasing me and chasing me.

SAD UPDATE: And then I found myself on this scary road they call the interstate, and a car hit me. Mommy thinks it happened pretty fast and that I didn’t suffer. Some friends of Mommy came and found me and said that I looked like I was sleeping peacefully. They took care of my body very nicely for Mommy and buried me and planted flowers. Mommy and Daddy are pretty upset that I won’t actually be living with them anymore, but they know that I will always be in their hearts.