Gus, (whose formal name is Augustus Angelo) is so named because he comes from Italy. His owner Shelley Sutton spent a number of years in the military and was stationed in Italy in the Air Force in 2000. She had an apartment in Aviano and one day was in the town and walked by Gus at a pet store there. "He was for sale on a cobblestone street." He was only eight weeks old at the time. "I asked how much and he was $10 (or 20,000 Lira) and he's been with me ever since, through all the moves."

Shelly describes something that Gus does that's unusual. "He does a little 'paw hook' when he's in the mood to, he kind of cups his little hand and drags them across your hand. He does it if he's cuddling up to you. He's definitely a sweetie."

She's not sure what breed he is exactly. "I always say he's a mystery mix. I've met someone who had a Daschund, King Charles Spaniel that looked similar so I think he might be a mix of everything, maybe a Corgi, Daschund, Spaniel."

Gus eats regular dry food and loves baby carrots for treats and gets a little popcorn now and again. "He loves his ball and a squeaky raccoon he's chewed the ears off."

Gus is not multi-lingual despite his origins so Italian commands have no effect on him. My landlord used to say "vieni qua " which means come here.

Gus loves the water and enjoyed the ocean when they visited last year.

Shelly notes that Gus is a camping dog and "We had taken him camping one year and I had my tent door zipped. We were with friends and all of us had tied glow sticks around our dogs necks so we wouldn't lose them in the dark. I was looking around for Gus and he's very particular when he wants to go to bed and he was waiting at the tent door to let him in. I let him in and it was lights out."

"He's been the best dog ever," Shelly said.

He's not a big fan of cats or birds but gets along well with other dogs especially those he knows near his junction home. Shelly and Gus often walk in the Junction or Alki and once a week in Lincoln Park.

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