He was instantly Mama's Boy from Day One, though, my husband in SAC in South Dakota, on rotating shifts, and the boys in school.
'Shadow' was glued to me nearly all the time, taking seriously his job to protect me, sleeping with his chin on the back of my calf at night. Would've taken on a tiger to save me.
Sadly, one night in Fairbanks he went out for a last time outside - usually hurried in the sub-zero cold, but never returned from our location at the edge of woods filled with wild life, including wolves, bears, moose,caribou and wild dogs....RIP, Old Faithful...see you at The Rainbow Bridge with which too many of us are familiar.
Now you know many of us can't read that without tears welling in our eyes, thinking of the Rainbow Bridge our own precious animals crossed. One we had NEVER licked us - NEVER! He smiled and wagged his tail when we talked to him, but never was a 'licker'. Just before he stepped onto that bridge, he was very weak and very ill, and he licked my hand; he was telling me goodbye.
Amazing how animals become part of the family. Lucy should have been named Shadow. I was her 4th owner when I got her and she was only 4 months old. Someone at work was looking for a home for her and I saw her once and had to take her home :-) Lucy ended up being a great pet, she is very loyal!
As a kid, I always wanted pets, and my folks always gave in :-)