JACKSON - "Daddy, that's the dog I want," I heard Drew say, and I turned around to see a short-legged, big-bodied solid white dog amble up.

Those words were not lyrical or profound, but still will be forever etched in my memory as the innocent desires of a 10- or 11-year-old boy as that dog, wagging his tail, wandered into our football game.

The year was either 1996 or 1997. I am fairly certain it was '96, but it has been a point of personal contention that I have not been able to verify that. I will in the coming weeks through photos or other documentation.

That dog died this past Friday.

Like most of us, I have known my share of tragedy. I have lost a wife, father, grandparents. And the death of a pet - even that big-bodied, short-legged dog - in no way compares with the losses of loved ones families suffer everyday.

Still, Rufus will be sorely missed not only as the unassuming pet he was, but because he was there and a part of major events in our life - youth sports, church confirmation, high school graduations, the holidays, and, yes, bad times that I would just as soon not mention, but that occurred, too.

Not demanding

If I wanted to go out to the back yard and sit by the pool to contemplate a particular problem, as I am wont to do, chances are Rufus would be by my side.

He didn't demand or even ask for attention, though he always was willing to receive it. Rufus was just happy to be there - whether it was nearby as the kids played or as Jill took a solo swim on a hot July afternoon.

Rufus would be sitting on the diving board waiting for her to finish.

At our church, our youth minister chronicles the life of each high school graduate through photos set to music on a DVD. On Joshua's DVD is a picture of him, and a young Will and Katherine accosting Rufus in our den. Rufus was happy for the attention.

Rufus was there as our family experienced the glories and wonders of our children's teen years. As those years fade away for our family, so does in a physical sense Rufus.

When Rufus came along, we were still a new family - merged from two separate families. He provided a common, unifying bond.

He started out as an outdoor dog, but soon the kids had him in the house as much as he was outside. I figure Rufus was full grown, but less than age 2, when we acquired him. It was amazing that this dog who grew up roaming the roads of rural Jones County adapted with no training as far as I know to being a house dog.

It was if he knew instinctively that certain things were done only outside.

The neighbors all loved Rufus.

"That dog can talk," one neighbor exclaimed of his happy nature.

Soon, Rufus either stayed indoors or in our backyard behind a wooden fence. But he could escape from the backyard when he wanted, and would on occasion make short visits to our neighbors. He always returned on his own or when I called. One retiree confessed once with a twinkle in his eye that he would on occasion invite Rufus into his home for short visits.

We did not name Rufus. That was the name he received from his original owners, but it fit perfectly.

In either '96 or '97, we had committed to getting the kids a dog.

We had gone into the process with a surprising amount of preparation. We had explained to the kids it would be an outdoor dog and we had installed one of those electric, invisible fences to give our yet-to-be acquired dog the run of the yard, but to ensure he did not intrude on neighbors. We told the kids that we would be getting a dog - the right dog - soon.

Bringing him home

It was during a Christmas visit to my mother's home in Jones County that Drew decided he had found the right dog. Our football game stopped as the kids gathered around the dog.

I explained to Drew that obviously this dog belonged to someone else and was just visiting his grandmother.

But I failed to explain that to my mother, who a few days later phoned to tell me that she had talked to the dog's owners who were willing to give him up to a good home.

Before the new year, I traveled back to Jones County by myself, was re-introduced to Rufus and promised his owners we would indeed provide him a good home.

That is a promise I believe we kept.

Bobby Harrison is Capitol Bureau reporter in Jackson for the Daily Journal. Contact him at (601) 353-3119 or bobby.harrison@djournal.com