After our border collie passed away, we thought we were done with having pets. The loss was very traumatic for us, and we couldn't bare the thought of going through that again. But our friends kept telling us the best way to honor Perseus's memory was to give another dog a home. So we started our search on Petfinder.

We met Jax, shih tzu, at Missy’s Haven in San Antonio, and we fell in love with his little face and underbite. They had rescued him from a hoarding puppy mill with more than 170 other dogs, and they told us Jax was very scared and aggressive toward people—especially men. But we loved him the moment we met him, and we weren't willing to give up on him.

When we brought Jax home, he definitely needed some confidence building, but we can proudly say he loves twelve people now—many more than he did before! At three years old, Jax is the funniest pup. He loves to sleep and play ball, and he's always ready for adventure. He’s easygoing and loves to go out on the town, where he catches a lot of eyes. (How could he not, with that face?) When people ask to pet him, our answer is usually no, since he can still be reactive toward strangers. But we appreciate that so many people are mindful that many dogs in Austin are rescues—and that it's better for everybody if they ask first!