What do you get when you combine a Rottweiler with a Basset Hound? Give up? 110 punds of Seargeant Sniff!

Seargent Sniff, while not quite the heavy weight he once was, is still sitting pretty at 13 years of age and over 81 pounds! Thats no small feet, for a dog like Seargeant Sniff.

"Sniffy", as those who are in the loop call him, has his family to thank for his remarkable health and longevity. His ever vigilant mom, Hollyjean, has kept close tabs on his health, and not only in his golden years. At 7 months her eagle eye caught that his right leg was bowing outward. After a trip to the orthepedic surgeon it was discovered that Sniffy's ulna had prematurely stopped growing, causing his radius to bow out. Surgery was going to be the fix, but the mighty Sniffy, who is even mighty while he is under anesthesia, had bones so strong they broke the surgeons saw! 3 weeks and one re-orded saw blade later Sniffy was back in action.

That wasn't Sniffy's only run-in with the surgeon. When Sniffy was about 9 he woke up unable to move. The veterinarian diagnosed him with a spinal cord injury and a ruptured disc. The staff at Veterinary Surgical Associates (VSA) did everything they could to patch him back up.He was paralysed from the chest down. After a year of rehabilitation at Scouts House Sniffy recovered almost all of his functions and was walking again!

It all goes to show that you can't keep a good dog down. But Sniffy isn't all triumph and wonder (just mostly). He has done his share of naughty deeds. One such time his mom decided to something nice for Dad, and went through all the trouble of getting a fabulous bottle of wine and a couple of dilicious filet mignons for a special dinner. These items were placed on the counter while Hollyjean went to get the mail. All this was just too much temptation for any dog. When the filets were discovered missing Sniffy was found lounging innocently on the sofa, the only evidence of the crime was the white butcher paper strewn about.

Sniffy has been very lucky to have landed himself in a family that is willing to go so far for him. Then again, he may not owe it all to luck. When it was time to choose a dog from the humane society Sniffy was one of 10 possible candiates to join the family.Sniffy's Dad deemed him to be the "manlyist" of all the dogs, and was therefore chosen. So perhaps Sniffy owes his good fortune to his imposing stature and chisled features.

Sniffy's hobbies include walking, eating people food (not encouraged), and snoring loudly.

We are very happy to be able to take care of Sniffy and hope you have enjoyed getting to know him as the Pet Of the Month