Newark Pet Stories: ‘The Sweetest 110-Pound Monster I Ever Met’

NEWARK, NJ — A Newark resident has a heartwarming tale to tell you about the friendliest, sweetest, 110-pound “monster” that he’s ever met.

Patch recently put out a call to our readers to send us a story about the “funniest thing that your furry friend ever did.” Read the fantastic reply that Newark resident David Lippman sent us below.

Miss our reader callout and have your own funny furry tale to tell? Send it to Eric.Kiefer@Patch.com along with your name, town, pet’s name and photo (bonus points for YouTube or video embeds you share).

Letter to the editor via David Lippman:

“Our 110-pound dog “Monster” got his name for his size, obviously, and as a joke on his behavior, which was anything but terrifying. Monster was the friendliest and sweetest dog my wife and I ever met in the 36 years Kathy has been raising dogs – he lived to get positive attention from human beings.

“One-half Rottweiler, one-quarter Golden Retriever, and one-quarter Jack Russell (according to a DNA test), with the last quarter questionable, Monster had a Rottie’s size and build, a Golden Retriever’s warmth, and a Jack Russell’s curious intellect. He displayed all of these at family dinners, when he would hop up in a chair, and sit with the family and our guests, fixing individual diners with a solemn stare. He would not try to eat food or jump on the table, but simply sit there, looking at people. After a while, he’d hop down and return to his massive crate. After a while, we learned to ensure that all family dinners had the “Monster chair,” usually one with arms to balance his weight, and he would always hop up and keep us company. We were always hoping that he would share with us his wisdom and intelligence, but he chose to keep it to himself.

“He wound up keeping it to himself all of his life. The extremely gentle dog developed cancer of the spleen in February of this year, and we put him down peacefully on March 15, three weeks after his diagnosis, in our bedroom, in our arms.

“Monster came from the Humane Society shelter here in Newark on Frelinghuysen Avenue, and had less breeding and more personality than some human beings we know. While the funniest thing he did was to join us at dinner, he had a raft of endearing qualities – his happy growls, sleeping on Kathy, giving kisses, his collecting Kathy’s shoes and putting them in his kennel to keep him company when we were out – that made him the single most entertaining and amusing dog we have ever met.”

Lippman added the following P.S. in a follow-up email a few days later:

“Our last five dogs were all rescue dogs; we have a long history of doing so. The story on how Kathy picked out Monster from the shelter is pretty good, too.

“After our Doberman Pinscher Kaya died of a sudden heart attack in 2008, Kathy didn’t want our other Dobie Oscar (the second funniest dog we have ever met), be alone.

“So she went to the shelter to pick through the various dogs. They all charged up to the cage and barked furiously and desperately…except Monster, who slowly padded up to her. Kathy found his restraint interesting, and put him through some commands. He obeyed with alacrity. Kathy said, “Hmm, I’ll have to look at you.” Monster then raised his paws to beg, and that touched Kathy deeply.

“She came back to give Monster a test walk, and the staff at the shelter were not impressed that a short woman like Kathy could handle a 110-pound moose dog. These guys are mostly re-entering ex-offenders, and it’s a good job for them, but they have slanted views of the world. Kathy walked off with Monster, and the staff assembled at the front door to see Kathy fail.

“Ten minutes and a lot of dog poops later, Kathy and Monster returned to the shelter, with Monster obediently heeling and trotting alongside Kathy. They did not realize that Kathy had been training dogs for nearly 30 years and knew more about it than most human beings. They stood and sat in awe as she returned, and gave her new respect.

“I don’t know what we’ll do to replace Monster. He was truly one of a kind. Supposedly his previous owner was a “fiend,” which could mean anything, and he would not get off leashes and run around – he apparently had been abandoned in a park. But as Kathy said, “He landed well.”

Patch then asked Lippman in a follow up email if he had anything else to add about his beloved family member and canine companion.

Here’s what he had to say:

“Well… Monster’s other endearing quality was that he loooooooved human attention. He would regularly roll over on his back on the floor, put his paws up in the air, and pretty much demand to have his belly rubbed. He would make a lot of happy growls while we would accede to his request. Giving him such attention made our other dog, a Doberman Pinscher named Addie, somewhat jealous, and she’s bark and whine at the lack of interest in her.

“Another endearing trait was that he was very good about heading for bed at night, around 9:30 or 10 p.m. He’d pad into his crate, roll over on his side, and go to sleep, his collected sneakers in front of him. That gave Kathy a few problems, because she insisted on getting the dogs out before we went to bed, for one last visit to the little dogs’ room. Monster didn’t want to emerge from his crate after 9:30, so Kathy would ask hi mif he wanted a cookie.

“On hearing the word “Cookie,” Monster would rise, lumber out of his crate, and happily follow Kathy out the back to do his business – and then eat the cookie.

“He had sharp ears, like most dogs, and when we pulled in and out of the driveway, he’d be peering under the blinds at us as we drove up or pulled out.

“He never liked running around – he’d only run in our backyard, usually when he’d hear dogs barking beyond the gate, but mostly, he’d just lumber around the house or the back yard. When being walked in the park, he’d stick close to whoever had him on the lead, unless he wanted to sniff or mark something. He would slow down dramatically as he neared home, because he enjoyed trotting around the park. However, once home, he would trundle into his crate, roll over on his side, and go to sleep.

“Monster had more personality than most humans I’ve ever met, and was better company.”

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Photo by Wallis Muraca, courtesy of David Lippman