Ted was born in late September 1995. My wife, Melanie who was married to someone else at that time, picked her from a litter simple because she thought Ted looked like a stuffed golden Teddy Bear. She is half Golden Retriever and half Chow. Her original name was Teddy Bear and became shortened to Ted over the years.



She was a handful while a puppy, chewing on table legs and whatever she felt needed chewed. Unfortunately, while left home alone, she gnawed on my wife’s ex-husband’s autographed baseball bat. He was furious and yelled and beat the poor puppy. Melanie was enraged that he treated her that way and it only got worse. He was jealous of the attention his wife gave Ted. (Hello, immature, party of one.)

He continued to treat Ted that way, constantly yelling the most profane language at her until Ted began to fear all men. She loves children and any animal that is a baby, but will run and hide from any man.

In 1999, they were divorced. I had known my soon to be wife for several years because we worked at the same place. It was love at first sight the day I saw Melanie, but I put the thought out of my mind because I knew she was married.

One day in November of that year, Melanie asked me if I wanted to go to a movie with her. The latest Highlander film had come out. She was a Highlander fan and knew I was as well. We went to the movie, went to dinner and went back to my house. We stayed up and talked all night. By early morning, we knew we were in love. Melanie was afraid to take me to her house because she knew Ted would be afraid of me. I convinced her to bring Ted to my house one afternoon. I figured she would not be so afraid since she would not feel she needed to protect her own territory.

The doorbell rang. I opened the door and said “Come on in,” and went to the living room and sat on the sofa. Melanie and Ted came in and Ted sniffed all over the house. Then, to our great surprise. Ted came over and sat beside me with her head held up slightly in the air. I scratched her head and petted her and told her what a beautiful girl she was. She put her left paw on my knee. I put the palm of my right hand on her paw and she licked my hand over and over.