Tommy

The General with a Heart of Gold.

If every pack needs a protector, Tommy is ours. At 8 years old, Tommy is the elder statesman of the neighborhood, a dog with a “leader-first” energy that you can feel the moment he starts his famous “Alpha walk.” But Tommy wasn’t always so quick to join our mission; in the beginning, he was a bit of a mystery.

I first saw him even before Basbousa. Back then, he was independent and completely unimpressed by my offerings of cat kibble. He’d give it a sniff, look at me with a “not my cup of tea” expression, and move on. It wasn’t until he saw the love and care I was giving to Basbousa and Bolt that he decided I might be worth talking to. The real turning point? Chicken liver. One taste of that, and Tommy decided we were officially best friends.

For years, the local mechanics have looked after him in their yard, calling him “Mitchoo”—though Tommy has made it very clear he prefers his current name! He takes his job as a guardian seriously. In the winter, he is the first to shield the others from the cold, though in the summer heat, he’s more likely to be found “off duty” in the shade. Because he is a brave protector, he often ends up with ear injuries from defending his territory, but he’s learned to trust me to clean his wounds and keep him safe. He even let me vaccinate him for Rabies every year.

These days, Tommy is living the life of a retired general. Since he’s an older boy, I make sure his kibble is soaked in water to make it easier to eat, though his absolute favorite is grilled chicken. He still has a bit of a wild side—he loves a good car-chase and finds great joy in annoying the local cats—but his soft side is what I love most. This big, tough Alpha male actually blushes when I give him a kiss, and if I join him on his walks, he looks absolutely ecstatic. He is proof that even the strongest leaders need a little tenderness.