“Gentle Ben” & His ‘Bestest’ Buddies Ben was just a little fella when he appeared on the deck one early spring morning in 1996. To this day no one knows where he came from - he just chose our home to become a part of and he's been one of our most fun-loving, silly, goofy and delightful pets. He is the third and youngest of our three ‘Big Blacks’ (Lab mixes). After we got Buddy settled comfortably on the truck, it was Ben's turn to try his paw at truck driving. We had our doubts about our sanity for trying to house three 70 lbs.+ dogs on a truck meant for two people. We didn't have a thing to worry about though! Ben made one leap up on to the top bunk with Ebby and that was that - they shared everything from that point on - bed, window, and water bowl... | 
| Who says Two Heads aren't Better Than One! Ben & Ebony sharing a drink of water |
Although not related to each other, each of them, Ebony, Buddy and Ben, were stricken with the same degenerative disk disease that eventually crippled their back and hind legs. The disease did not stop them from enjoying life with their Daddy and Mama on the Big Red Truck ~ their indomitable spirits gave wings to ours. 
| Serene and Calm, Our Gentle Ben |
|  | Benny - the Pup who Never Grows Up |
The three of them traveled hundreds of thousands of miles with us across the beautiful United States of America as well as spanning East to West across Canada.
Time will never diminish or take away
the hours and hours of joy those three brought to us, or the memories of the times we rolled on the floor, shedding tears of laughter at some of the antics they pulled off on that truck  | Benny on the top bunk with Ebony - watching for Daddy to come back to the truck. Yes he is sitting on the dashboard! |
Ebony and Bud, of course, are waiting at the Bridge for us now; and Benny is aging before our eyes. He’ll soon be the third to use Buddy’s cart. Yet our “Bouncing Baby Ben” still has the heart and the spirit of a puppy; and he still rules the mutt-ley crew around the house when it comes to doggie-pillow selection! |