My relationship with RJ did not get off to the most auspicious of starts. He was a dog my parents rescued from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and he was taking the place of MY dog, Hunter. Visiting home from college he also destroyed my favorite pair of Rainbows that I wore way too much. He was a certified destroyer of shoes, wrecking every pair he could get his teeth on.But after my parents migrated to Texas and I eventually followed I got to know him and he became my brother from another species' mother. RJ had a bark that could shake the walls and he used it often to protect the family from the dangers of UPS delivery men and little girls walking past the house. When we sat in the back he would gaze to the heavens and woof at the hawks and condors that had the audacity to fly over his domain. He was ever vigilant in his protection of our fenced in property. The expression "all bark and no bite" certainly summed him up to a T....except when it came to his appetite. He was the hungriest dog I ever met and I had never truly understood when people talk about seeing a twinkle in someone's eyes until I saw the way he looked at my father when he was grilling something. There are so many incredible food stories about RJ that I will tell for the rest of my days but one really stands out for me. A few years ago while I was staying with my parents I was up very late - maybe 2 or 3 in the morning - and I wandered into the kitchen to grab a drink. Well as I turned the corner I saw RJ eating out of the other dog's food bowl, something he knew VERY well he was not supposed to do. For a brief moment he looked up from his munching, met my eyes for a second or two, and went right back to his ill-gotten gains while I started giggling uncontrollably. When my old dog Hunter died I wrote a eulogy about him and filled it with stories of our adventures. He raised me and I loved him as my companion in campaigning through the forests. But my relationship and love with RJ was different : He was my partner in crime. Smuggling him food beneath the table and sneaking him snacks brought me so much pleasure as I watched him devour the morsels. RJ was my brother and I don't know when I'll stop crying about him being gone but I know this : He loved everyone and everything and everyone loved him right back. Goodbye fat dog, rick james, fattus maximus, professor lickenstein, fattykins. You were loved so, so much.