# 70 R.I.P. Rufus Briggs

Most of you know how much I adore my Parker. She's the sweetest girl. But, many of you don't know that there was a dog that I adored prior to Parker-- the sweetest boy-- Rufus Briggs. Rufus belonged to my dear friend Katherine Briggs Collier, and he went through law school with us and then was there was we transitioned into being "adults" and trying to figure out what we were doing, where we wanted to be, who we wanted to be, etc. But, no matter where we lived, or what party we were throwing, or what drama we were dealing with, Rufus was the mascot of my group of friends. I'm not sure there is a better description than mascot-- he really was-- he was our symbol and he was always there for us, and allowed us to love on him, step over him, laugh at him, dress him up, even ignore him if necessary. He was the sweetest dog with quite possibly the largest head I've ever seen on a dog that size. He was also a total man-magnet for whoever might be walking him-- many a day did Rufus attract a huge crowd while walking at Double Decker or in the Grove or around Oxford. And while he was entirely large enough to drag whoever might be "walking" him, he was kind enough to let the walker always feel in control.

I've never been a dog fan. I didn't really grow up with dogs and the few dogs we've had over the years usually met with a pretty rough fate. There was Eli, Archie, Rebels One and Two, and Helow. Probably some others I don't recall. These dogs died in various ways-- one was hit with a BB gun, a couple were "dognapped" and one had a liver problem or something. Regardless, I'd never really bonded with a dog before, and to be honest, I was a bit scared of them, especially big dogs. So I was a bit concerned when Rufus arrived. But it just so happened that Rufus was the kindest Rottweiler that ever lived. He was incredibly well-mannered, and you didn't have to worry about him accidentally biting off your hand while trying to give him a treat. He would rest at your feet, or sometimes, try to get on top of you when he'd forget he was a big dog!

I immediately decided that Rufus wasn't a threat, and eventually, we even became friends. He was there at many wonderful (and some not-so-wonderful) points of my life-- law school, parties with my friends, moments crying on the couch, Sex and the City watching parties, the Collier wedding, many karaoke songs, playing Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit (and usually losing-- my friends are smart!), the Grove, the Bar, and lots of other times.

Here are some of the pictures I have of him:

This is Rufus watching me on my birthday-- this was my Pajama Sleepover Party at Katherine's house-- 2nd year of law school, 2005

Penny and Rufus in the Grove for a concert!

Rufus always allowed us to dress him up for various occasions which was quite nice of him considering he could have totally bitten our hands! This was for our Back-to-School Luau Cookout at Carey Corlew's house-- August 2005

Valentine's Brunch at Katherine's House-- February, 2005

This was a karaoke night, and I believe it was the night of Shannon's birthday, October 2005-- I think he really enjoyed our singing.

This is just a funny picture! At Katherine's house with Amy Tolliver

I've often told Parker about her "Uncle Rufus" who is the reason I love her so dearly. She's never met "Uncle Rufus", mostly because I love Rufus dearly and I figured Parker can be a bit wild sometimes and he probably didn't really want to put up with that at his age! A couple weeks ago, I got to stay with Katherine, and the next morning, after she left for work, I stayed later to get ready and I was able to talk to Rufus and hang out with him. He didn't seem that impressed with me, but I was glad to get to see him. I'm even gladder that I gave him a big hug when I left and kissed him! He's the best dog and he will truly be missed-- I'm crying while writing this blog! I love him!