Here Rex, Come Murphy

I wanted you to see how good our two dogs have life here in the country.  They have the prime seat right in front of the wood stove in the kitchen, which you might think...mistakenly, would be too warm for them, but nooo.  These dogs are special.  The German Shepherd, Rex, was a rescue dog from the humane society.  He had originally been trained as a guard dog and didn't work out, was not adopted because he had some aggression towards men (probably to do with his training).  He has worked out so well for us, and we have been able to give him the kind of home he needed.  Lots of land, a 4 acre enclosed area amid 100 acres and just the two of us, no children living here. He used to pace a lot at night when we first got him but now is quite settled and only barks when he hears an unusual noise.  We feel quite secure knowing he is with us and he has gradually come to accept and seek our pats and praise.
Murphy, the black Labrador, was gotten from Kijiji and unlike Rex, was in a loving home.  However, the family were in a tiny townhouse with two toddlers and two small dogs already.  Murphy was proving very quickly to be too much dog for even two ardent dog lovers.  They were so pleased when they realized the home we could give her and we have sent them follow-up photos to reassure them about her care.  She is rather bossy around the house, loves playing ball, and soaks up all the petting we are willing to give her.  She also shares our bed at night with both of us twisted like pretzels trying to accommodate her poses...usually across the bed instead of up and down.
I think our story goes to show that there is a home out there for every dog, it is a matter of connecting the two. 
We watched with great interest the recent episode of The Nature of Things on CBC called A Dog's Life.  I was surprised to learn how little dogs have been studied; many creatures...pigeons, apes, elephants, etc. have all been studied much more than the animal that actually lives with so many of us. Another interesting fact is that dogs are not colour blind like I had always heard.  They see things with about the same tints as a person with red-green colour blindness would see.
While our dogs are not treated to pedicures, wear costumes or have jeweled collars, I think they lead a pretty good life.