On Valentine's Day in 1998 I drove from Houston to Austin to adopt a female yellow lab from Hot Lab Rescue. I had a hard time selecting a dog and wanted them all. But one particular dog, Rusty, smiled at me and I could not resist. Rusty looked different from the other labs, and was one of the yellow labs that HOTLRC picked up from a Houston puppy mill that was closing. Sophie, also from the puppy mill, joined us in June of that year, so I was doubly blessed.

Rusty came with a few phobias. She did not like going through doorways for instance. She would not go for walks. Her big daily adventure was to go down our driveway, turn right and go one house down, turn around and go one house the other way, and then head back up the driveway. One day I thought I had lost Rusty. She darted out the garage door when it was open, but I found she had only run around to the back door to be let back in.

It didn't take long though before Rusty made herself at home. Rusty was a sweet dog, always wanting to be petted, yet she behaved when I would tell her to go sit down. Since she came from a puppy mill I was very surprised to learn she knew how to "sit", and was especially surprised just within the last year when I found she knew the command to lie down. All I can imagine is that she was somebody's pet before landing in the puppy mill. She had not forgotten her training.

I think what learned most about Rusty is to keep a good attitude. She was patient, kind and usually happy. I loved to see her "snirkle" (which is what I called her cute smile).

Rusty is now in dog heaven making new friends. My husband, Sophie and I miss her a lot.