We rescued Melbourne “Mel,” an Australian Cattle Dog mix, from the Human Society of Houston, Texas. We adopted him when he was ten months old and he lived to be sixteen. He is now a Dog Angel!

Mel came into our when my brother-in-law and I went in search of another dog that I could gift my husband for the holidays. I quickly learned you can’t “gift” a rescue pet—you need full “parental” permission. So, I called my husband from the shelter director’s office, starting with “Spoiler alert: I’m bringing home another dog!” Of course, he was thrilled and that’s how Mel came to be a part of our family.

Let me tell you that little guy was the most loyal companion you could ever ask for, running mate, best friend to his brother Bogie, and soulful fur baby.

As you can tell, he was very photogenic, and patiently let us take numerous pictures of him. As our family has moved around the U.S. from state to state, I can proudly state that Melbourne, along with his brother, sat through way too many real estate closings and probably became a mortgage expert—shout out to all the brokerage firms who let us bring our dogs into the boardrooms!

Melbourne was an amazing rescue, whom we miss terribly. My eternal gratitude to all who adopt, Kimberly