Colby Jack

Colby came to live with us not long after Betsy adopted him from the Humane Society in 1998. Colby had eaten Betsy's roommate's shoes among other things while living there with her in the blue house on Richard's Street. So Colby came to Round Rock.

Our (Matt's) black and white party mix Cocker Spaniel Maverick did not welcome the new additional with open arms. But there was a tolerance for the frisky soft black puppy, especially as Colby became 3-4 times bigger than Maverick.

Colby was a gentle dog even though he topped 90 pounds during some points of his life. He loved to greet everyone at the door and would sit patiently next to you waiting for you to pet him. If you stopped, he would gently nuzzle under your arm or hand to get you to continue.

As the grandchildren arrived, he would simply let Kyle or Anna pat (often strong pats) him or even crawl over him if he was on the floor. He knew how precious the children are and that he needed to protect them and love them.

When Tom retired, Colby became more Tom's dog than our dog. Shadow would have been an appropriate name. He followed Tom everywhere. He was always fair though, when I was home. Colby would find a neutral spot half way between where Tom and I were so that he could see both of us.

Besides being called Colby, his nicknames included, Big Guy, Bud, and Buddy. When referring to Colby in the third person, Tom often called him "the Big Unit." (For those of you wondering, this references train engines.)

We never really knew what the Black Lab part of Colby was mixed with - German Shepherd? Rottweiler? It didn't matter. He was the best pet, with enormous paws that no one could touch. We will miss him terribly. We loved him.

Colby Jack - Spring 1998 - October 10, 2007