"Lewis Poofy Caldwell"

"Meet Lewis. Lewis was adopted from the Animal Orphanage in Voorhees, New Jersey on the day he was scheduled for euthanasia - July 31, 1998. While walking around the shelter looking for a dog I saw Lewis sitting in the corner of his cage looking up at me with his half beagle eyes. He had an aggression warning sign posted on his cage.

I insisted on meeting Lewis anyway. Reluctantly the staff brought him out. When they let him off the leash he walked over to me, sat down on my foot and looked up at me again with his half beagle eyes. I knew at the moment I wasn't leaving the shelter without him.

Little Lewis as it turns out is what I call a "grumbler." He growls from the minute he wakes up until he goes to sleep. Its just his way of talking. Initially his mouth was very hard when playing (he even broke skin a couple of times) and he had some on-leash reactivity issues. Nothing that a little training couldn't fix.

Saving Lewis' life as it turns out had more than just his loyalty as a reward. He saved my life two times. Once from a fire and another time from a dog attack. During the fire he dragged me while unconscious from smoke inhalation to an open window. During the dog attack while a shar-pei had her jaws locked on my shin he put his mouth on her throat (temporarily cutting off her oxygen supply) until she let go. After she let go she went for my leg again and he grabbed her mouth and pushed her with his body away from me. The injury to my leg was what they call a "bone crush" injury. The emergency room physicians told me if it weren't for Lewis chances are good that I would have lost my leg or even worse.

Little Lewis is my hero many times over. I can't imagine my life without him."

In honor of Lewis adopt a dog from The Animal Orphanage today!