Duke (Jack Russell)

Duke is a seven year old Jack Russell. There was an ad in the paper, and my Mom and I went to look at the puppies. The lady said that Duke had not been sold, and she was asking less for him because he did not look as good as the other puppies. We knew immediately that he was the dog we wanted. I couldn't stand the thought of all the puppies being adopted and Duke being left behind because he was different.

Duke loves to play with the cat, Squeaky. We do have to keep an eye on him because he is at least 10 lbs. overweight. He doesn't realize how much bigger he is than the cat, and he gets a little rough sometimes. He loves to chase any cat or dog that doesn't belong out of the yard with zeal! He is very smart and was easy to train to stay in the yard without a fence. He also loves to sneak in the house and sit in Dad's recliner. His favorite thing is to take a walk to the pond with Dad.

Duke belongs to my Mom and Dad, but I always say he is part mine because I take care of him for my parents when they travel. They do not have a computer and wanted me to enter Duke, because he had saved me from being attacked one night.

Duke is a very brave and protective dog. I was up at Mom and Dad's checking on things because they were out of town. The only time we put Duke in a fence is when they go out of town and don't take him with them. I had let him out and was standing outside with him talking to my sister on my cell phone.

While I talked, I noticed 2 young men walking up the road. I thought this odd because it was dark and after 7 pm. There is a big light outside and it shines to the road, so that is why I was able to see the young men pass by. They walked up the road to my parents top drive, turned around and walked back down the road to the bottom drive. At that point, I noticed they had split up and I only saw one man. I then heard the other man running toward me up the yard in the darkness, and the young man at the bottom of the driveway started to run up toward me also.

When he did, Duke went into protection mode and jumped as high as the man's chest. When he did this, I made a dash for the door and locked myself in the house. I heard Duke growling and it sounded like he was tearing someone up. It got quiet after a few minutes, and Duke came to the patio door. I looked around and didn't see anyone so I let him inside.

I called the police and gave the best description that I could considering that it was dark. I thought that I had seen one of the young men before, but I wasn't sure so I just gave a description. The policeman told me that he knew by my description exactly who I was talking about. He said that this person had outstanding warrants and that they had been looking for him.

The policeman had received a tip about where this person was, and was going there after he got my report to try and make an arrest. He also said that, if not for Duke, it could have turned into a very scary and dangerous situation for me. I had never been scared to go out at night at my house or my Mom's house. We live less than 1/4 mile from each other and it took me a while to get over being afraid.

Duke should have received a medal that night for being my hero and saving me from something that could have been really bad.

By Melissa