Photo by Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe”
You’ve heard about pets that resemble or act like their owners.  In Rosemary’s and Rufus’, a two-year-old Sheepadoodle, case it is true!

Her friends tell her, “You both have the same hair style, neither of you has a mean bone in your bodies, and your names begin with an R.”

“But you can easily tell us apart,” laughs Rosemary, “because my hair is gold and eyes are hazel and Rufus’ hair is white and silver and his eyes are a deep-dark brown.”

“When I told my daughter that I rescued a stray dog,” said Rosemary, “and found his owner, she declared, ‘If you are saving strays, it is time for you to get a dog!’

She was serious and  started sending me Internet photos of dogs who needing rehoming.

Rocko’s photo arrived and it changed his and my life.

Originally, Rocko was shipped from West Virginia to the West Coast, but his family had to rehome him, so they were interviewing new purrs-pective owners. 

During ‘my’ interview I began calling him Rufus, and soon so was his family! I left without him, thinking he would be too much work.

Upon arriving home, I realized I missed him, and drove right back! Today, I don’t know what I would do without him.  He is such a dear heart.

At first, I was concerned about Rufus’ lack of tail. But instead of wagging a tail, he shakes his entire rear end! He overdoes joy, if that is even paws-ible, by wagging his entire back end from tip to tail - well, if he had one.  There is no doubt when this dog is happy - he greets people, with a stuffed toy in his mouth, wagging his rear excitedly back and forth!

He was soon dubbed ‘Rufus Sprinkles’ because during potty-training, he tinkled in big fancy-pee-swirls all over the tile floor wiggling that happy-fluffy butt!

My three daughters are grown and I would be alone without Rufus. He fills a huge void. He is a handsome and wonderful companion with lots of dog cousins. When my animal loving daughters and their dogs visit, it is puppy mayhem with our four rambunctious rescues playing.  When their dad arrives, his dog makes number five.

Rufus is cuddly like a living-fluffy teddy bear, but he is too big and hot to sleep with, so his bed is on the floor. Every morning, I join him for ‘morning cuddles’ before heading to work.

Besides our good looks, another thing Rufus and I have in common is clumsiness! We are always running into things.  When Rufus was a baby he broke his back by falling 20 feet off our cabin’s slippery-wet steps.

The first vet said he was ‘OK’, but Rufus was not swimming in the lake like he loved.

I had a bad feeling, so after we arrived home I had a second vet x-ray his back. 

His back was broken! It is a good thing I followed my instinct.

I also had noticed that on our four hour drive home  from the lake, that he could not get comfortable. No wonder! He was in pain!

It is important to pay attention to our pets’ body language and not dismiss it. Rufus had NO other symptoms.

Spending money on a second opinion was worth it! It saved him from potential paralysis. His healing took three months and I had to keep him from running.

I double checked with our vet, to make sure Rufus was safe because he loves the hot tub! He is a social butterfly who purr-furs joining us when we go in. He does a few doggy paddles from one side to the other, then he comically stands with his front paws on one side of the hot tub’s seats, with his back ones on the other side.

Rufus has this cute at first, but then obnoxious habit of pawing the air, in a waving motion, for attention. He won’‘t stop until he receives the attention he craves.  Whether I am sitting on the bed, sofa, or a chair, he is always resting his heavy head on my lap....or  anything else that is his head height - then his eyes follow me with a ‘look’ – yup - adorable.

He is an enthusiastic greeter to me and our guests. He loves his squeaky toys and when he hears someone arriving, he runs to his favorite toy, grabs it, squeaking it all the way to the door, to welcome them. 

Who needs a door bell with this squeeky-early-warning doggy-announcing system?  You can’t but help smile.  Rufus does not want the toy tossed, he offers it as a prized gift from his heart. This dog gives back.  

He has a gentle giving spirit and when I look into his face I ‘hear’ his ‘voice’ in a slow Southern accent: kind of low-goofy-gravely sound brimming with kindness slowly saying, “I’ve heard that I make people smile. Good! That is my job!””

“Rufus’ fur is actually hair, so he is hypo allergenic,” adds Rosemary, “and does not shed. Just like our hair, it grows and tangles when not groomed. 

I comb him every second night, for 15 minutes, to prevent matting. Matting would take an expensive trip to the grooming salon or me having to comb him for hours at a time. At first he thought grooming was a game, and he was all wiggly-squiggly, wanting to play with the brush.  But I patiently kept at it, stroking him massage-like, and he soon understood that this was the best kind of attention.  This diligent method prevents matting and the subsequent shaving off of his beautiful hair.”

Mary Ellen's Silver Persians swam their way into readers and viewer's hearts! They have appeared in International magazines and newspapers around the world. (France, England, Canada, China, Germany, USA, etc.)

Also, several National and International TV shows featured the swimming felines teaching pet-water-safety. And their furry faces appeared on a line of shirts.