I got a call one evening from the Humane Society. My wife Bobbie and I had been fostering some dogs for them. They said that they had a big dog, not far from our house. The dog had evidently been dumped and was currently roaming a neighborhood. They asked if we would go and pick him up. I said yes and we were off to get him.
The dog was big, a Great Dane mix approaching 100 pounds. He showed no emotion, no tail wagging, no facial expression, and no sign of welcoming a stranger. He just stood there in the dark and starred. At first I was a little afraid of him, due to his posturing. As I approached, he did not growl or seem to care that I was there. I carefully helped him into the back of my wife’s Expedition and we headed home.
As it turned out Emmett was one of the best dogs you could ever wish for. He always maintained his unemotional demeanor. When a car would pull up in the driveway, a 100 pound blackish brown dog would stand there starring in the driver side window. No barking, no tail wagging, just standing there as if to say, go ahead, make my day. No one would get out of their car. Emmett was tall enough to take his nose and push your hand out of your pocket so you could rub him and that was the extent of his interaction with people.
Emmett did not like conflict. Even a friendly football game where you may act like you were going to tackle someone and Emmett would force himself between the players and break up the play. He guarded the grandkids when they came over. Once, while walking in the woods, my wife came face to face with a raccoon. She said Emmett came out of nowhere and instantly killed the raccoon.
Emmet did have one short coming. He hated the UPS truck. Not the driver, just the truck. When UPS came you would think he was going to tear the tires off. The drivers, who knew him, ignored him. Those who didn’t would not get out of the truck. It was a funny site to see the UPS truck come. While Emmett was attacking the truck, Moses the search dog would get into the truck and do a thorough search from front to back. Although Moses is a certified cadaver dog, we would tell the driver not to worry that he was a drug dog making sure the truck was clear. Other than the UPS truck Emmett rarely got excited about anything other than being rubbed. Needless to say we adopted Emmett and he was a very special friend for quite a few years. When you went on a walk with Emmett, you did not need a leash. He was watching out for you, not the other way around.
