Andrew Schrauben

Dogs haven’t always been kind to me. My first memory of a dog was our neighbor’s large Weimereiner when I was four years old – I was on my back in the grass, staring up at the grey dog’s belly because she had just run me over! Yet somehow I always knew that dogs are good. For the past three years my dogs Haven and Beacon have reminded me of that altruism on a daily basis.

Big dogs have always appealed to me the most but my parents decided that our first dog would be a small one. When I was ten years old I helped choose Penny from among her litter of Westie puppies. My two brothers and I absolutely adored her, and it only took us two years to talk our parents into a second dog. One day while visiting the local Humane Society we spotted a Sheltie mix that we fell for, and Gyro came home to become Penny’s little brother.

Penny and Gyro had a significant influence on me as I grew up. In middle school I had plans to study dog behavior and language as a career, and even employed my dogs in a science project. When I went off to college, I looked forward to seeing them when I visited home. Of course, they were always just as thrilled to see me. It was after I graduated college that Penny succumbed to old age at 15, and the next year Gyro passed on at 14. Even though I’d been living away from home for their last few years, it felt strange to no longer have any dogs in my life.

In March 2003 my new wife Amanda and I moved back to Michigan and bought a house that had one key feature: a large, fenced-in backyard. Immediately I tried to convince Amanda that we needed a dog. My persuasion worked, and then some. We wound up picking TWO puppies from the litter of our friends’ yellow Labrador Retriever. Haven and her littermates were born late at night on June 8, 2003. Sometime after midnight Beacon was born, so technically his birthday is June 9.

Two weeks later our friends went on their honeymoon, so we watched their dog, Sheree, along with her entire litter of eight puppies. Amanda instantly fell in love with Beacon because he was the runt, far smaller than his siblings. Three pups caught my eye right away due to their insistent curiosity, and I eventually settled on Haven. Interestingly, each of Amanda’s and my choices have latched onto us, respectively – Haven has become “daddy’s girl” and Beacon is a “momma’s boy”.

Our choices couldn’t have been more perfect. Over the past three years they’ve grown into the two big dogs that I’ve always wanted. Haven hasn’t lost her curiosity and absolutely loves to accompany me on long runs on the trails, exploring all of the sights and scents of the forest. Beacon has a passion for catching frisbees in the backyard and fetching sticks in any lake or river. When I come home from work Haven’s entire body wiggles in excitement while Beacon greets me with his favorite toy in his mouth.

While my first encounter with a dog didn’t go very smoothly, I can’t imagine life without dogs. I was lucky to grow up with Penny and Gyro, and my luck continues with Haven and Beacon being a part of my life today. In fact, their nicknames “Havy” and “Beaks” are the inspiration of this site. Happy 3rd birthday, HavyBeaks!