For the Last 10 Years, In His Eyes I Was a God

by Ken Trombley
(Holly MI)

My beloved Brutis: in September of 2000 I found him standing in the middle of a dirt road in Holly, Michigan. He was only about 35 pounds, just standing there watching me drive up. I stopped and stepped out. He gave me a look out of the side of his eyes like "Try it. I dare ya."

I tried to sweet talk him towards me, but with every step he'd move away. He bolted away from me around the passenger side of the truck. As I followed him around, I lost sight of him. He had run around and jumped into the open door into the front seat. There he was. Now I had to try to get into my truck. With absolutely no knowledge of the breed, all I knew was what I'd heard over the years. "Rottweilers, pit bulls, dobermans. Mean, unpredictable, quick to attack." I don't know who was more scared, me or this puppy.

I took him home and put him in my pole barn with something to lay on and some food and water. After knocking on every neighbor's door, checking in at both police stations in my area, and checking the parks and campgrounds, no one had reported him missing that I could find. Now what?

After a few days, I gained his trust. We live on 10 acres, and I started letting him out with me off the leash. He followed me around like I was his mother. At one point I had some work to do on the roof of my house. He'd only been around for a few days, and I let him walk around the yard while I was up there. This was the first time I left him on his own. From the roof I could see him walking around the yard.

I got busy and forgot about him for about 10 minutes. I jumped up and franticly stood at the edge looking for him. He wasn't in sight. I ran over to the ladder on the other side of the house and there he lay, at the foot of the ladder, where he saw me go up 10 minutes earlier. It didn't take long, and he warmed up to my wife and daughter.

Well, from there we moved him into the house, he grew to 130 pounds, and was showered daily with hugs, kisses, and love, which he always returned.

These are just a few of the words I can use to describe him: loyal, devoted, honest, enthusiastic, friend, family, incorruptible, fierce, courageous, loving, my shadow. Never in my life have I been so honored, loved, respected, and obeyed, like the devotion I got from this little stray.

All his life consisted of was making sure that we were all ok and in sight. Nothing else mattered to him.

On March 17th 2010, Brute failed to leave his bed and stand by my side while I was making the morning coffee. I walked back to the room and there he lay, looking up at me, never raising his head. I knew something was wrong. We took him to the vet and were sent home with antibiotics. After a few days of treatment, his condition didn't improve. After a round of xrays on 3/23/10, we found a large mass on his right lung. That's where the blood he was coughing up was coming from. Never a sick day in his life.

We had to make the decision to put him to sleep :>(

Different people look at animals in different ways. I couldn't have loved him any more if he were a child. The pain in my heart is unbelievable. He is gone now but will never be forgotten. We miss him more than words can describe.