February 2008   Freckles
Freckles, a 15-year-old English Springer/Cocker Spaniel mix, spent her childhood and mid-life years in the suburbs of Chicago with the Campbell family, running and chasing anything faster than her, and wallowing in the cool, dark leaves of the garden’s hostas. Early on, Freckles was a marathon runner (in dog terms) since she ran 3 miles with her owner every morning. Then one summer day, she laid down in a mud puddle as if to say “I’m through with this sport!”

Since Freckles’ recent move to Alexandria, Virginia, she has been meeting the locals in every dog park, negotiating all 47 stairs in a town home, contending with arthritis, and visiting a multitude of doctor’s offices to combat her various ailments. Yes, she’s an older dog who still relishes an abundance of belly scratches, kisses and ear rubs, but life was not always this good...

Freckles was adopted by the Campbell family after 2 previous owners, and it was understood that the first family didn’t treat her well. The second owner submitted a 3-page biography detailing every wonderful attribute of 1-year-old “Cindy Jo”—her original name. Reading this essay convinced the Campbells to offer her a third home, this one permanent and filled with unconditional love. With the little black spots adorning her nose, the obvious name change to Freckles was a perfect fit.

For the past 9 years, Freckles has been joined by a second family dog—RJ (for Rocket J. Squirrel), who is an adorable mix of Shih Tzu and Poodle. Having met all the members of this remarkable family, I can attest there’s plenty of love to go around for these two dogs. Lucky for Freckles, the third time was indeed the charm.

Our individual portraits of Freckles and RJ appear in Gallery 3.

Click here to read about a previous Dog of the Month winner.