“We brought Sarge home nine years ago. He’s the only full-breed dog we’ve ever had. The rest are mixed breeds or ‘mutts,’ which I happen to think are the best dogs!” Cheryl told us. “Most were dropped off or someone gave them to us because they couldn’t keep them anymore. They are all wonderful and everyone gets along.”

Turns out, Sarge wasn’t always a soft giant: “Sarge was an ornery puppy and loved to bite toes and chase the kids’ friends around the house playing ‘Police Dog.'” However, a completely different side of the pooch was revealed six years ago when Stephen rescued their first fawn. “A family friend found a baby deer lying in the middle of a road. He watched and waited for the mom to return, but she never did. He knew we were animal lovers, so the fawn was brought here,” she explained. From the moment the fawn was brought back home, Sarge acted as a guard and babysitter to the poor animal.