We adopted him from a family who had just had a (human) baby, and they were no longer able to give him the attention he needs. And he demands it...frequently.

I spoke to his family several times, at great length, before they agreed to let us have them (and we agreed to take him). We essentially adopted him site unseen, but for some reason I just knew he was the one. (And I hate surprises, so this was a very big deal for me.)

Both the husband and wife mentioned that Roscoe loves a particular ball they got at their local grocery. We don't have that chain in the Bay Area, so I asked them if they could get the tag from one of the balls so we could buy them online.

The day we picked him up, they brought a brand new one for him, in addition to the beds, bowls, food, collar, harness, medications...this was one spoiled dog! When I saw that it was made by Sergeant's, I thought "easy enough! They sell those everywhere!" Ha ha.

For weeks we looked in every pet supply, drugstore, grocery, and big box retailer we could find. They had other Sergeant's toys, but not the Crazy Paws Fun Ball.

I could not find it for sale online either. The two balls that Roscoe came with were nearing the end of their useful lives, and he simply did not have the interest in any other ball we bought for him.

So Sam finally threw his hands up and visited Sergeant's site again. He filled out the contact form, but we never expected to hear from them at all. Let alone within 12 hours!

When he got to his office the next morning, he found an email from Sergeant's Customer Service department...with a direct line to an individual, and an offer to sell him the toy directly. And before we knew it, a case of Crazy Paws Fun Balls were on their way.

I don't know that I've encountered this level of service in a long time. And all this guy did was answer a simple question in a timely fashion. It's actually pretty sad that we've grown so cynical that someone being responsive to a customer takes us aback.

Is it really so hard for companies to respond to their customers' needs?

Today, a DHL driver dropped off the box. Roscoe seemed to know what was in there before I even opened it. I replaced his old Fun Balls with a new one...and it wasn't long before Sam and I were looking at each other, trying to figure out how we could dismantle the squeaker.

Now I'm just waiting for our neighbors to knock on the door and ask us why we are torturing rodents in here...

Currently playing in iTunes: Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan