I used to have the most wonderful German Shepard, his name was Ralph which he would tell anyone who asked, albeit in his German accent so if you didn't listen carefully it sounded like Ruff.
His real name was something like Ralphonso Della blah blah blah and both the Dame and Sire of his litter had a long list of show victories, but there was to be none of that namy pamy stuff for my Ralph, no I taught him the finer things in life like fetching house bricks and decent sized tree stumps or when in my panel van barking at people standing at tram stops on a silent command (my mates loved that one), and most importantly how to look butch but at the same time cute to attract the chicks.
My nephew (around this time) was about three or four years old and Ralph loved this kid as much as he loved me, there was many occasions when Nicky (my nephew) came to visit on a summers day and after a nude romp under the sprinkler with Ralph would jump on his trike for a bare arsed lap of our street block but we were never concerned for his safety as one pace behind him all the way Ralph trotted along playing shotgun.........and God help anyone who approached him!
On other occasions the little lad from next door would join him for a lap and he would bring his dog and Ralph's buddy, a Great Dane, people locked their doors when the saw this troupe coming.
"A dragon lives forever but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys."
So what happened to the boy and his dog?
Well Kenny was getting older all the time, he fell in love, got engaged and moved out of home and although my fianc