Stewie

Owner's Name
Terry Smith

City
Ventura, CA

What makes your pet special?
When I first met this little guy, he was resting in the arms of our groomer. He was near-catatonic, having just been brought to St. Louis from a puppy mill bust in West Virginia. But even then, after all he'd been through, he kept looking at me with this inquisitive face, and with those deep and soulful eyes he asked, "Are you him?"

I was smitten. My wife and I adopted him, and named him Stewie. That was Thanksgiving, 2008.

In the time since then, we've watched Stewie become a dog. He used to be a docile little dude, freaked out by grass and with no idea how to run. Now he chases his sister across the beaches of Ventura, protects us with his raspy bark from horses and bears on television, and wakes me religiously at 6 o'clock each morning.