He was born in Churchville, Virginia on May 2, 1999 and led a bucolic, carefree life with his father, mother and littermates for his first seven weeks. He's pictured here with two of his siblings in what is believed to be his earliest photograph. Smart money says he is the one on the right, but we will probably never know for sure. That's his sister in the middle. If you happen to know her whereabouts, please write. He might not know her if he met her again, but he'd surely enjoy playing with her and sniffing her butt.

Then, on Friday, July 12, 1999, an advertisement appeared in the Washington Post under the "Dogs - Kennels" column. Here's what it looked like: