She was the smallest, but the only one out in the pen when I went to pick out my first female Olde. All her littermates were inside keeping warm on that cold January, Colorado day. She was like a white snowball just investigating everything, bouncing around like someone had just put a new battery in her. She was not only cute she was beautiful. She had the most beautiful eyes, completely lined in black. It brought back childhood memories of when I was very young and the black eyeliner my mother use to use.. I can always remember that red pencil lying on the bathroom sink, with gold lettering along the side, MABELENE. I could name her nothing else. My sweet Mabelene

Was Mabelene a sweet, loving, little bundle of joy? In my eyes yes, she could do no wrong. So what if she chewed up 17 bras in about 8 months. It was my fault for leaving them where she could get them. So what if she chewed the headrests off my new Oldsmobile, "twice" must be separation anxiety. That first year as far as I was concerned was wonderful. She was with me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most mornings I would awake, fuzzy minded, staring at those two beautiful black rimmed eyes....laying on the pillow she called HERS. She always KNEW she was more than just a mere Dog, she was a Person on those mornings. She thought she needed to convince ME....but I needed no convincing, she wasn't "just a dog", she was my friend. My mother wanted me to come to Illinois for a visit. Sure Mabelene and I needed a road trip. What! ! She was not real happy about me bringing a dog with me. I did not intend on bringing a dog with me, I was bringing my friend Mabelene. Needless to say we never did make that trip. That is how I felt about my Sweet Mabelene, she was my friend and as she matured she became my constant companion and protector.

Mabelene and I owned a retail-clothing store. Yes, she was a working dog in every sense of the word. We specialized in Motorcycle apparel of all kinds.. I ran the store and she was in charge of security and public relations. My sweetie sat behind the counter on a barstool. She loved it up there because she could see everything that was going on. Customers greeted us when they came in always saying "Hello Mabelene" before they acknowledged me. She loved everyone who came in there and that is why I was so surprised when one busy day while I was in the back I heard a very nasty, vicious, serious bark come from where she was sitting. I ran up front and asked the customer if that was Mabelene. He sheepishly looked at me and said, "Ya, but it was my fault. (see even the customers knew she could do not wrong) I reached around to the front of the cash register to get that pen and I guess she thought I was up to no good." She could have very easily taken a good bite out of his arm, but being she was also in charge of public relations she thought she would just warn him first. Mabelene also knew the value of teamwork. At the end of another busy day, Mabelene was on duty behind the counter on her bar stool. I was in the back helping a last minute customer with some jackets. It was just before closing time and there was no one up front... I thought. From the back my fine tuned ears picked up to a low, serious growl. I came up front where Mabelene was eyeing a man leaning up against a far wall, partly hidden, next to a rack of T-shirts. He was holding a plain, brown, lunch size paper bag. I told him the bag was making her nervous because she must consider it some kind of a threat. I asked him if he would please put the paper bag down so she could see it was not a threat. We had also done this with a customer who came in with crutches. At first she thought these strange things were threatening. The poor guy who had a broken leg but good-naturedly he put the crutches on the counter so she could examine them. This is how any Olde learns what is a real threat and what is a perceived threat. The man with the bag, who I had never seen before looked at me and said "NO" I then told him to please leave the store. He became very agitated and said, "Who is going to make me?" Just then the customer I was helping came from the back room and informed him, "Mabelene and I will". The unpleasant, nervous man, hesitated, looked at Mabelene, who continued to growl the whole time, and then at the customer before he decided he better go. Mabelene never did need the bar stool to make it over the counter in one leap but it sure made her look bigger when she was sitting there. I often wondered what was in that bag. Was he waiting for that last customer to leave before he was going to show me? I will never know, because my lady in charge of security could not talk, but she sure could let me know when something was not right. I left the store that night feeling more confident in my friend and protector then ever. How I loved my Sweet Mabelene.

Little did I know that she would soon be taken from me. On May 25, 2001 at the young age of 6, my sweet girl who never had a sick day in her life was playing in the living room with her friend Apache Joey. I asked her to go get moms shoe. She bounced over to where my shoe was, looked up at me and fell over like God had turned the switch off to her precious life. I did CPR, mouth to mouth, everything I had been trained to do as an RN. But I could not save the most precious thing in my life. The vet said it was probably an Aortic Aneurysm rare but always fatal. From her one and only litter, my sweet friend did leave me with seven precious reminders of her courage, love and loyalty. Sly Guy, Batman, Gorbie, Moxie, Satin Lady, Xena, and Dozer. All have proven at one time or another that they have the intelligence, the drive, loyalty and beauty it takes to be a great Olde English Bulldogge like their Mom. I hope with all my heart there is a Rainbow Bridge so I can once again be with my Sweet Mabelene.