The 10-Pound Alpha Dog
Oceanside, California

"You cope and get through it." The voice on the other end of the telephone line sounded a bit tired. It was the third time Christine's husband had been deployed to Iraq.

Coping for Christine means filling her time with meaningful work, volunteering on base, watching her toddler and counting the days until her husband comes home again. It isn't an easy life but love isn't always an easy road.

Her two dogs, Ruby, a sixty-pound Rottweiler/Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix and her "buddy," the ten-pound Chihuahua alpha dog, Diego, keep her company.

But Diego, the dog with a Napoleon attitude according to Christine, has a special place in her heart. Diego was a gift to her from her husband the first year they dated. The little dog, now 6 years old, has been with them through multiple military moves, deployments and now the birth of her son.

And he's a hoot. He may only weigh 10 pounds but Diego has made it very clear to Ruby that he and not she rules in their family. Easy-going Ruby has no problem with Diego's reign as king. She kow tows to him on all the important matters in life like the food bowl and jumping up on the bed.

But the alpha dog won't let it go at that. Christine swears Diego gets Ruby in trouble. He's been known to manipulate a few situations. Before Christine puts 2 and 2 together, she realizes the real culprit is a pint-sized Chihuahua lurking elsewhere, just out of sight.

"He's very calculating," Christine says with a laugh. The two keep her smiling with their antics and help her live each day with a bit more joy. With a routine and an end date in sight for her husband's return, Christine had settled into her life.

Always concerned for her husband's safety abroad, it never occurred to her that danger was lurking right under her nose. Not once, but twice!

A military income is not a lavish one but the family got by. That is until her debit card information was stolen. Christine's entire checking account was wiped out. Shocked and disbelieving, her first thought was, "How could this happen?"

But Christine did what she always does, she coped. Immediately, she went to the bank and began the process of restoring her account. The good news was she still had her husband's banking account as back up. That is, until his debit account information was also stolen. It seems lightning may not strike twice in the same place but thieves do.

Devastated, Christine was at a loss. It was one thing to have half your money stolen, but all of it? How could anyone do such a thing? But the even bigger question was, how could someone do that to a man who was so selflessly serving his country?

Tired and despondent, she came home and plopped down on the couch. Her buddy Diego came up and sat with her. He just stared at Christine. At first, she thought Diego was just being sweet, proclaiming his alpha dog rights to sit beside her.

But then she looked closer. That's when Christine saw Diego's mouth. His bottom teeth were sticking out at a 90-degree angle with the root and the bone showing. Diego didn't appear to be in a lot of pain but she was terrified.

What else could go wrong? Christine felt the tears, hot and fresh, on her cheeks. No money, her husband a world away, and now this! What had she done to deserve such burdens?

Diego just stared at Christine, asking for nothing but her love. The little dog had never let her down and she wasn't about to let him down now. Christine felt so alone but she knew she couldn't let her own feelings get in the way. Without another thought, she scooped up Diego, grabbed her baby, and headed to the vet's office.

The vet diagnosed Diego with avulsion to the lower incisors. Three of his bottom teeth were pulled forward along with the root and bone. It was the result of an unknown trauma.

But Christine had a theory. There were some truant kids in the neighborhood with a reputation for meanness. She had no proof but Christine felt sure they were responsible for Diego's injuries.

Whatever the cause, he needed surgery. Her vet generously offered to break his own rule of allowing a payment plan. With the couple's money stolen and her husband in Iraq, he wanted to help Christine however he could. She was grateful but determined to find another way.

Desperate, she contacted her grandmother and told her what happened. She was able to loan Christine some money, but it still was not enough. Determined to cover the rest of Diego's bill, Christine searched online and found The Mosby Foundation. That's when she asked us for help. How could we say no?

Alone, financially burdened and her husband so far away, we wanted to help Christine. We gave her the balance of what she needed to settle up with the vet. "I was blown away with your kindness," she told us." I can't even begin to thank you enough for your assistance with Diego's vet bill. It means so much to me and my family."

At The Mosby Foundation, we've learned that bravery comes in many forms. Certainly her husband is a brave and wonderful man to serve his country in such a selfless way, and we salute him. But we also want to salute Christine.

She carries a heavy load and she does it with so much grace. Just like her husband, she's shown courage under fire. Through sheer determination, Christine got through not one or even two, but three attacks on her family. And still it didn't stop her.

What a trooper! Christine deserved to know that she does have other good souls looking out for her.

And then, of course, there's Diego…Hey, with a ten-pound alpha dog around, we know better than to say no!

Diego had his surgery and he's doing great. But we wouldn't expect anything less from this little dynamo, either. You could say Christine is a lot like Diego. She doesn't take no for an answer, and she doesn't back down from protecting her turf. Maybe that's why she loves him so much.

We just know that when the one you love is so far away, it's comforting to have every loving reminder of him around you throughout the day.

And Diego does just that.