On 15 March 1999, Jadie writes:

"Royalcrest's Rhuah Rigel aka Rhu (pronounced roo) arrived home yesterday about 4:00 CST. Talk about a whirlwind visit. Drove over 600 miles, 12 hours round trip to fetch the little guy.

"Tassie, ever the herding OES, loves little Rhu. Picture this white mop-headed 50-pound sheepdog trying to grab little eight- pound Rhu by the neck to pick him up. In his terrier way he informs her he does not want to be picked up, thank you very much! He will grab a clump of her four-inch-long mane and shake, bite, and tussle. Yes, this little spirit has some fire.

Rhu at nine weeks, already showing a penchant for laces on jackets and shoes.

"How did Rhu handle the six-hour drive home? Bravely. Hardly a whimper out of him. He slept in his crate and pottied at rest areas. At one point he verbalized his discontent with being left in the back-seat in a crate - he'd pooped in his crate and managed to step in it. Even after cleaning the crate out at a gas station, the aroma was *lovely*. With newspapers in her lap, Joan then cradled him in her arms as I drove along the expressway. At first, he leaned into her arms, his little masked face pointed up, up, up, to gaze at Joan before he fell asleep. Later, he slept on his back, a gargoyle smile lending him the most beatific wolfish look.

"Once home, I parked the car near a vacant house on our street that has a fenced-in yard. Then I brought Zak and Tassie up to meet Mr. Rhu. Zak growled and grumped LOUDLY, pinning a wary eye on the hairy jumping bean. Tassie wigglebutted tail-lessly and immediately began shepherding him. At one point, Rhu stood beneath her ribcage and humped at her. Another time, he seemed entranced with the eight hot-pink stitches on her belly where she'd been spayed, and tried to find some milk. I had to pull him away lest he pull out her stitches.

Rhu at eight weeks, investigating raspberry canes.
"When can we EAT some, Mom??"

"Rhu only woke me up once at 1:30 last night. Took him out to do his business and then he slept until 6:00 this morning. I was amazed at how he took all these changes with such aplomb. Here he'd just bidden good-bye to his ten littermates, his mother, and two other adult ADT's from his former home. You'd have thought he was Magellan out to investigate the other side of the world.

"What is he like today? Jaunty. He bounces at 50-pound Tassie, tail up. When Zak impatiently booms out a few barks, he pins back his ears, tail down momentarily; seconds later he's back to BAU (business as usual). Because he lived further north than do I, he really hadn't spent much time outdoors, thanks to all the snow. Fortunately, in central Illinois, we're having a spring thaw. This afternoon, after a hectic weekend, I walked him out to the garden area and we sat amongst the deep green uncut grass blades. First thing he did was grab a dead oak limb and pull it a-rhu-ound and a-rhu-ound me. I felt like I was the city of Jericho and would tumble down if he didn'št quit. Then he plopped down beside me in the warm sunshine and proceeded to munch on that big stickie . . . my coat's shiny button . . . my fleshy pink finger . . . . The cardinals were singing, the woodpeckers drumming, the mourning doves cooing. I closed my eyes and felt a wee bit more alive.

"Finally, he appears to be a lover. Kisses my face. Gazes intently into my eyes: sober, somber. Dark terrier gaze and when you see the whites of his eyes, he looks quite impish.

" A recollection of our first 24 hours. What will the rest of our lives be like, little Rhu?

"Rhu at six months, with his favorite fleece 'blankie'."

THE CAPONIZATION OF RHU

Jadie writes: "Perfect Airedale timing: LABOR DAY WEEKEND Rhu swallowed a squeakie whole in an adroit move designed to prevent sharing with Tassie or Zak. Because he weighed no more than 45 pounds, it was medically determined he would soon have an obstruction in his intestines, so Larry (my vet) met me at the clinic on his day off; his staff was preparing to clock out, so guess who assisted him? In addition to the gastrotomy, I opted to have 7.5 month Rhu neutered as well (ergo, three balls removed). The surgeries took one hour and 30 minutes. I can't believe I didn't faint, but that fact merely demonstrates that Airedale owners exhibit tensile strength, fueled by love, in adverse circumstances. Within 48 hours Rhuster was jumping the blockades intended to prevent him from climbing porch stairs. As one e-pal wrote, 'Rhu may yet be the Rhu-ination of you'."

"September 1999 - Caponized Rhuster, wth duplicate squeakie ball held above the unknowing Rhuster's head. (Squeakie thereafter pitched); seven and one-half months old."