...at 9 months of age she was rescued by my sister from a shelter where she'd been taken after being rescued from "two men who were trying make a killer out of her"...needless to say she'd been greatly abused. GJ (named by my then 4yo niece) proved to much for the family, they just couldn't give her enough attention or enough room, so my husband and i (who have an acre in a remote area) took her in. Now 6, she's a fiiine companion...intelligent and very eager to please, still too quick to bark however, which is the direct opposite of the breed she mostly is, Rhodesian Ridgeback (excellent guard dogs). According to a dear friend who has a 105lb full bred male rhodie, she "has" to be with us...even on our roof (when we were putting a new one on) and she suffers separation anxiety, in the form of destruction and charging out at vehicles driving past, if my husband and i are both working and away from home every day. She's no longer 'scared' of EVERYthing, more appropriately cautious, and only half afraid of the dark anymore--she still runs to my feet when headlights cross the room, but she is now 'brave' enough to stay outdoors on a summer night...if we leave a door open