Rikko, German Shepherd K9 Police Officer, originally uploaded by sdonley.

Memorial portrait of Rikko, North Versailles, PA Police K9 Corps, 9×12 inch graphite pencil drawing by Susan Donley, PetsPictured.com.

I was glad to be commissioned to do a memorial portrait of this devoted K9 officer to be given to his human partner Scott Kucic of the North Versailles, PA Police Department. Not only did Rikko serve his local community day in and day out, but he also served his country by working search and rescue at “The Pile” at Ground Zero after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on NYC’s World Trade Center.I was struck by the look of devotion in Rikko’s eyes while I drew and hope I captured that in the portrait, for the sake of everyone who knew him. My condolences to Scott, his family, and the members of the North Versailles Police Department who served with him everyday. It was an honor to honor this canine hero!I’ve set up a Rikko section at CafePress where you can order t-shirts, mugs, and more graced with Rikko’s dignified image — enjoy!Those of you who knew or worked with Rikko, please write a comment below to honor his memory and tell the rest of us something about him.

For most of my life, Valentine’s Day has been closely associated with dogs (keep the wisecracks to yourself, please! ;-). The toy poodle I grew up with (“Fi-Fi” naturally — we kids got to name her!) was born on February 15, close enough to be considered our Valentine dog.

Fast-forward a dozen years. In May 1977, I gave my dad an Irish Setter puppy for his birthday (after prudently securing my mom’s blessing). I neglected to find out exactly what date the backyard-bred litter was born beyond “mid-February.” We were free to choose a birthday for our little girl, so we choose Valentine’s Day. Within days of her arrival, she revealed her name, Maggie Magee, short for Mary Magdalene. We knew we would be doing a lot of forgiving… Later as an adolescent, she acquired another nickname, “The Teenage Werewolf”!

As each Valentine’s Day passed, against all odds, Maggie matured into a wonderful dog with a gorgeous red coat and a patient, loving disposition. Every Valentine’s Day we celebrated with a doggie sundae — a full container of raspberry yogurt that she didn’t have to share with anyone! I called her “My Big Red Valentine.”

Maggie’s life ended too soon — she had just turned 8 years old when she died of kidney failure. One month later to the day, my dad died, also too young at 55. The significance wasn’t lost on us. Our Big Red Valentine went ahead to meet him. We still picture the two of them walking around the fields of Heaven all day.

Do you have a Valentine memory involving one of your pets? Please consider sharing it in the comments below!