allas (of dallas)

One morning when Steve porter of elmwood went out to get his newspaper, a 3-month-old bull terrier wandered up to him. porter was preoccupied over some basal-cell carcinomas his doctor had diagnosed the day before. that turned out to be no big deal, but he was in a strange mood, he says. “this little tubby dog came running up to me like a little sister of mercy,” he says. “She’s my little angel.” Despite her mysterious origins, Allas never had any health problems. porter and wife Jeanne walk her twice a day, at 6 a.m. and in the evening, and Allas loves visiting with neighbors. “She’ll run right into their house if I don’t watch her,” porter says.

maxmax is the size of a Great Dane, but she’s covered in curly hair. She’s bill martin and Clay Chancey’s giant schnauzer, and she receives a lot of attention. “A lot of people have seen the mini schnauzers,” martin says. “but you don’t see giant schnauzers very often.” He chose the breed because a friend had one, and martin always liked the friend’s dog. For one thing, schnauzers don’t shed. So he bought max from a reputable breeder when she was 8 weeks old. “max is very calm,” martin says. “She has an old soul. She likes to lie down and watch.” max prefers people to dogs and often makes human friends at the dog park, he says. “She’s a great companion.” readers’ choice: bella