Duffy and Gonzo were brother and sister from the same litter: half German Shepherd, half Labrador.
They were born in the kitchen of a house in the North West of England and were given as puppies for free [http://about-your-dog.com/free-puppies/] to a middle-aged couple who had recently married.
The owners knew that the siblings were going to a home where they would be well loved and their every need attended to. The happiness of their dogs figured prominently in the original owners' minds.
The German Shepherd and Labrador parents lived next door to each other and until this mating had been kept apart by a high fence.
Then one night, during gale force winds, part of the fence blew down and the doggie neighbours couldn't believe their good fortune.
Bruce, the handsome German Shepherd moseyed into the garden of the beautiful yellow Labrador Lavinia and the rest, as they say, is history.
Bruce and Lavinia were both pedigree dogs and before the birth of their puppies had been prizewinners at several dog shows. Sadly, their romantic encounter meant that two lots of pedigree papers had to be destroyed.
A canine Romeo and Juliet? Maybe, but with a much happier ending, because forbidden love doesn't always end in tragedy.
Bruce and Lavinia remained friends. Their owners accepted the inevitable and let them play together in the park while a few blocks away, Duffy and Gonzo settled happy into their new home.
They went strolling on the beach every day, enjoyed swimming and playing ball in the garden.
When their new owners moved house, Duffy and Gonzo moved with them and made a whole new set of friends. Canine and human.
Although these two dogs were given as free gifts in puppyhood, they grew up to be wonderful dogs; worth their weight in gold, say their owners, whose lives they shared for almost 12 years.