D’Artangan De Luna-Miller

Loyal and Loving German Shepard

D’Artangan De Luna-Miller came into this beautiful world on April 5th, 2017. In a litter of 11 German Shepherd pups, D’Artangan was born of a lineage ready to serve and protect his forever family. On May 18th D’Artangan picked me on a visit to the breeder. He walked over all his brothers and sisters just to get to me. He introduced himself by standing on his hind legs and perched his little paws on the ledge and barked at me to pick him up. What an assertive little pup, I thought to myself. I couldn’t resist. I picked him up into my arms. This bold little creature knew who he wanted to go home with. He warmed up to me and snuggled into my neck and licked my cheek. He looked into my eyes as if he could say to me, I choose you to be My Human. Before I left the litter, I chose one of his little sisters to come join our family. Izabella took one look at me and agreed with her big brother that I would be her human too.
And the rest is history…
D’Artangan lived an incredible, adventurous and loving life. He loved the water. He Loved to swim in the Texas Gulf Coast. Every change he got he would jump into the pool, any puddles after a good rain and don’t forget flowing rivers. However, he just didn’t like getting into the tub to take baths. Go figure? He loved to eat salmon and sardines. When he wasn’t in the water he was hiking along side me. We have special memories of the San Antonio and Medina River and one special time along the Colorado River. He liked water in frozen form too. He loved running in the snow. He had a blast in 2021 when it snowed here in San Antonio and later when the family trekked to Colorado. He loved to smell the world. His nose could tell him many things about the world around him, which made his curiosity grow and his leash stretch farther. I didn’t stop him; it just made the walks longer and more memorable. He loved nature just like I did.
D’Artangan also loved the holidays, because it meant I was home more. He loved to sit on the couch and cuddle with me to watch movies and eat treats. He didn’t mind how sappy the Christmas movies were just as long as I was happy and fed him treats. He liked to sit by the Christmas tree to look at the twinkling lights. He was so smart, I didn’t know if he really liked the lights or he was sniffing out which presents were his. I could never hide his presents, he had this nose that could find anything, especially his favorite treats.
The best part of life with D’Artangan that I loved was coming home each day. D’Artangan showed me what unconditional love looked like in real time. His eyes would light up when I returned home from a long business trip. One day, two days or more was just too long for D’Art, but as soon as he heard the keys jingling on the other side of the door, he was ready with love and kisses. In his own special way, he was good at telling me how his Momo didn’t let him lie on the couch while I was gone, and any other things he needed to share with me. I looked forward to coming home even more at the end of a late shift, because I knew he was waiting for me at the door to brighten my day. I have never felt alone in life, because God sent me D’Art to make sure of that.
D’Artangan will always be my hero. He could anticipate when to be on guard and when to be ready to play. He knew when I needed his help. In April of 2021, I came down with COVID. D’Artangan proved to be the best nurse a human could ever have. He made sure to wake me when my breathing became stressed. He guided me to the restroom to make sure I got there safely. He was keeper of the time to make sure I ate. He kept me alive through nights I didn’t think I was going to make it. I don’t know how he did it. All I know is that God sent this wonderful creature to help. We made it through the long months of isolations, but like I said I have never felt alone, because God sent me D’Art to make sure of that.
God spelled backwards spells Dog another devine name. Dogs are so precious because they were created for one specific mission on this Earth. Their mission is to be a constant companion to Humans. D’Artangan’s loyalty, protection, and unconditional love made my life that much richer, amazing and unforgettable. As a German Shepherd, he lived up to his breed’s attributes. As you figured D’Art was his nickname. His speed to get to me tells it all. D’Art made sure I was safe, he patrolled the house before he would go down for a night’s nap, because we know German Shepherds sleep lightly. Many a nights, I would find him lying in front of our front door. He made sure nothing would disturb my sleep, because nothing was coming in without his permission.
On his last night of his Earthly mission, D’Art paid attention to detail at the front door. When the sun rose that beautiful Sunday morning in May, I found him there guarding our front door as he always did. I will miss you D’Art for a little while, because we know that life is very short. I can’t wait to meet you at our front door, when it’s time for me to come home. I Love you D’Art. Thank you for making my life that much sweeter. YOU are the best companion this girl could ever have.