I found this text under someone's avatar on Bladeforums.com:

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

I remember playing with and petting Ol' Rusty one time, and finding a tick on him.

I realized that his flea & tick medicine was way overdue so I went to get it.

As I was rubbing the FRONTLINE into his hide, he looked up at me and stared at length.

It was as if to say: "I will take care of the coyotes, bobcats, coons, and all the other strangers that come up in the yard."

"But Daddy, I'm counting on you to take care of the ticks, fleas, right kind of dog food, and all of the shots & other stuff I don't know about but need."

He sure kept his end of the bargain and I think I did the best I could.

Wow,he was a very big dog.

Coach, Ol' Rusty was a big and beautiful dog!
He reminds me of the dogs in movies, that they sent after escaped prisoners, only he looks to be a lot bigger.

Sphinx:

He was a AKC registered Bloodhound. (the breed they use to track escaped prisoners) His registered name was Ferrous Oxide “Rusty” Blalock.

A little girl that I had in math class “bribed” me to let her re-take a test so that she would not fail. I got the first pick of a litter of 14 puppies.

He came to our house when he was 7 weeks old and my wife rocked him in the rocking chair just like she did our kids when they were little.

He did grow into a BIG dog. He liked to play rough. One of his favorite things to do was to get a running start and run into me. If I didn’t get a chance to set my feet out wide and get my shoulder turned toward him, he would knock me down.

Several of my former Football players that came out to see me often remarked that I had done a great job teaching him how to TACKLE.

Great story Coach. I'd go back to high school just to play football again.

Pap

Wouldn’t we all !

Indeed a great story! Lucky dog that had a great life! Makes me want to go to the animal shelter and give another dog a good life.

The thing is, we just can't, because we would be to much at work to give the dog the attention he or she deserves. We used to have dog sitters, like nephews and nieces an an old grandma. The nephews and nieces are to busy with school and grandma is slowly going senile. I could ask a neighbor but I don't want to be that dependent. You have to plan like we all know years a head with a dog.
We just have to accept that this was our last dog. I must say, I always liked being at home, but the last weeks without a dog we are rather away. The house feels empty.

Sign me up Pap. We'll call it the Geritol league. Remember the Geritol hour? You have to be old enough to remember that. LOL

Coach when I was a little kid my dad had some Blood Hounds. Beautiful dogs. Sphinx if you can make a dogs life better.....do it. Just work around the issues. I can’t go to the Animal Shelter. I would bring them all home.