aiser

Janet and I had both grown up around dogs, and we vowed to have a number of them after we got married. We went through our apartment, moving up to a townhouse. Unfortunately, we had a very small yard and thought it was unfair to leave a dog alone in the house given the extended hours we both seemed to be working. When we purchased our single family home with a couple of acres, we thought the time was right. As I was travelling a lot at the time, Janet wanted a dog that was both a loving pet and a visible deterant. She found a local breeder that had a litter on the ground. We got to meet the father, mother, and three brothers from the first litter (Kaiser's was their third litter).

Kaiser was born May 1, 1987 and our introduction to him was on a typical Maryland July day (90+ degrees and 100+% humidity). He was the only active one in the litter, so we brought him home. Somewhere along the line, someone hit his OFF switch and he became a Couch Potato, First Class. He has served as The Great Protector when called upon, but happily serving as The Great Rug. Over time, the years took their toll on him. His muzzle and the dots over his eyes turned gray, and his gait has slowed considerably.

On December 23rd 1997, Kaiser was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and was given approximately 1-2 months to live. We were fortunate to have him for almost 3 more months. He was a large part of our family, and March 10th 1998 will always be a sad day for us.