As I was growing up, my family always had dogs, ranging from small (Jack Rusell Terriers) to large (Great Pyrenees). My boyfriend and I recently adopted Ivar, a 5 month old Australian Cattle Dog mixed pup rescued from Texas. Ivar had a rough start to life—he and his 15 siblings were found in a trash bag on the side of the road, infested with maggots when they were about 8 weeks old. We are so glad he got out of there and up to the great PNW! He’s loving it here and we’re trying to give him the best life a dog could ask for. He’s still learning basic commands and he to walk on a leash, but we’re starting puppy school soon and our goal is to make him one of the most well-trained pups out there!