I remember the first time I saw TJ, a wee chocolate lab at my friend Kevin's house--I told Kev "you won't be able to handle him!" Kevin was quadriplegic and TJ was "large" even as a puppy, but Kevin was so proud of him "AKC, registered,". That lasted a few months--then I got a phone call on a Saturday afternoon--"Jodi--please, TJ's in "jail" again. Apparently a chocolate lab in the city wasn't working, especially an untrained lab! I said absolutely not!!! I had a black lab, a shepherd and a beagle, I did not need another lab, espcially one not trained in any kind of manners!!! Sooooooooooo-the following Monday I picked a chocolate lab up from the local "jail". Kev said his goodbyes and I loaded TJ in the car, he sat in the passenger seat, threw his paw over my shoulder and looked at me--the saga began. When we got to the "country" I got him out of the car, walked him to the pond and he was dumfounded--geese were landing on the pond and walking about the pasture. We walked ---ALOT. Finally we came into the house and surprisingly everyone was calm, a bit of sniffing, no growling or biting, just a look of "so is he gonna live here now?" TJ tried my patience to the hilt--taking off for hours, not listening, and eventually being confined to an acre of fenced in area. As he got to the "teen-age" years he understood we loved him and cared for him and he turned into a "good dog", still with his own personality!! He was the life of the party--everyone came over to see "Kevins dog", and he gloried in the attention. He turned into my baby--I went to bed and he jumped on the bed snuggled up next to me--nothing like 100 lbs. of lab on a cold winter night!! Kevin died in March of 2009, my heart broke, TJ had gone to the back door that morning and howled, he wasn't the same after that. I brought Kevin's belongings and ashes back home, TJ sniffed them all, and looked so sad. TJ died the following August. I remember telling TJ that morning before he died "It's okay--go to Kevin--you both can RUN". I put some of Kevin's ashes in with TJ when I buried him--my best friends are together now. While I miss them both -- I like the thought of them running together. They went over the Bridge together--but maybe TJ will look back and say--"Oh wait--gotta go back and get Mom"