Francis's Life Story

1992-May 23, 2005

Francis began his life as a cute little mutt sometime in 1992 (we think). He is half Great Dane and half Black Lab. We never knew which half was which, but one day, we met another male Black Lab/Dane mix who was much bigger than Francis (believe it or not!!) so we have decided that Francis's mom was the Great Dane. (As a note--Francis, who has serious macho tendencies when it comes to getting along with other boys, greeted that dog as if he were his long-lost brother; we were certain that the dogs recognized their similarities).

Francis was a homeless little puppy who lived at the beach, often, we're sad to report, suffering at the hands of some abusive human(s) (at least, that's what we think based on his behavior around strangers--he's OK with women but hides under tables at the sight of men, especially if they are big). When he was found, he had broken ribs, a broken leg, and had lacerations on his head from where bottles were crashed on it. Had he been taken to a shelter, he might never have gotten out, but fortunately, he was rescued by a private group, who placed him through a word-of-mouth placement network within the entertainment industry. This is how, about a year and a half into his puppyhood, Kristen came into Francis's life, and he moved with Kristen from LA's southern beaches to Hollywood's Runyon Canyon, until Kristen decided to move back to the beach, right alongside the Venice Canals. This was great fun. After all, the Canals have plenty of ducks and kitty cats to chase, and Kristen's dead bolt on her door was no match for a smart, determined doggie, especially one high on the smell of kitty cats, so Francis was pretty much able to let himself out at will. This made Francis quite the neighborhood fixture, dancing along to his very own tune of "Oh, there goes that black dog again..." Since he is so fast, the only way to get him to come back was to find another dog on the street, and give this dog all the attention while Francis watched. He'd last about 2 seconds before running over to see if he could get in on the action. Once he began in-line skating with Auntie Caryn, he pretty much stopped jumping the fence. (Though Auntie Caryn assumes that all bets would be off if a squirrel or kitty were throiwn into the equation.) Apparently, all he needed was a "legal" way to RUN, and not getting in trouble anymore suits him just fine.

Unfortunately, Kristen's landlord was not a very nice person and Kristen had to move to another place where a cat was a current tenant. This would be fine except that Francis looked at Kitty and saw Lunch. So, Francis played sleepover for most of 1996 at his Auntie Caryn and Buddy Rich's aka for these same months as the RockWeb office. He liked it there because they spoiled him and rubbed his little belly. Actually, it's not that little, because Francis is huge!!!!! Auntie Caryn taught him many things, like how to behave himself and listen to what she says (which he does lovingly, albeit grudgingly) how to be a little less afraid of people, and how to get along better with other doggies. He got a whole lot of love and started to feel more secure than ever that his life had truly changed for the better. In 1997, Francis moved with Kristen to a new home (minus the kitty and the attached boyfriend thankfully--since as far as Francis is concerned there is only room for one man in her life and you can guess who that is!) He has had to adjust to quite a few new things in his life, actually--namely his new sister George, who Kristen got from a shelter around Christmas of 1997. He is soooo happy that even though he doesn't live with her anymore, Auntie Caryn still takes him skating and lets him play sleepover at her house for a week or two every month--especially in the summer when it's nice out and there are yummy things coming off of that human thing called a barbecue grill. He still has his own food dish and sleeping spot at her house, and just loves getting away to his beach retreat--plus she even gave him a chance to be in a movie! But he will always be the number one canine music fan, even though his days as RockWeb's mascot have ended with the closure of the company (though if you have Shockwave, you can see a snippet of him in full glory by clicking here), and he will no doubt remain as willing to hang out and chill to some good tunes, as to be the first to greet any buddy of his with the big goofy grin we all know and love. What a far way he's come since those days on the beach! He is the perfect example of how, with the right focus and devotion on the part of the human caretakers, an abused animal, even a worst case like Francis was, can rebound to be one of the best and most loving companions you could possibly ask for. In fact, when it came down to it, visits to Auntie Caryn's house were not enough. Francis knew what he wanted, and was never one to be shy about expressing his opinion. So sometime in 1998, Francis came to live with Auntie Caryn full-time, where he enjoyed being the only dog again, and could partake in all his favorite Venice Beach activities.

This part's a little less fun to write, because it's the end of the story, and although all story's must end, this ending's a little new as of this writing. Francis died on May 23, 2005, and will be sorely missed by so many people, because he touched people's lives and hearts everywhere he went. As one of Kristen's ex-boyfriends duly noted, he was, truly, one of the great dogs of all time, something I realized before he ever became my dog, and truthfully, was why we became so attached in the first place. While I miss him terribly, I am happy report that even in his death, he went out in his own way on his own time, just like he did everything else in his life--whenever he wanted to. His health had been starting to decline as hip dysplasia kicked in, and I know he didn't want to stick around as a dog who couldn't be the full doggy self he once was. About a month before he died, I had a conversation with him where I told him it was OK if he wanted to go, and that I wanted to do what was best for him, but I needed his guidance on what that was, because I wasn't sure what to do. He basically took the decision into his own paws. So now, Francer, wherever you run, I know that you know you take a piece of my heart with you. And I also know you'll be waiting for me whenever I get there. Until then, chase down all your favorite smells, but leave those kitty cats in peace. Hugs from here until we meet again...

More Photos

You can see a couple more photos by going here...

His hobbies include: