Forgot to say something: Major had taken to barking his lungs out in the middle of the night. Joseph being Joseph, he's come down and let the dog out thinking that's what the barking is all about. NOPE, the barking was to train Joseph to pay attention to him. Now this is a huge, deep chested dog with lots of room to hold it for more than a couple of hours. If my Labradors and my Frenchie can spend overnight in their crates without being let out, Major can jolly well do that, TOO. SO, when the barking started on Saturday night, I marched out to the dog porch, grabbed the yellow plastic baseball bat and proceeded to beat two times on the top and two times on the crate door while declaring NO BARKING. I wish you could have seen the eyes on this huge head. They just about popped out of their sockets. When I met Joseph at breakfast time on Sunday morning, he was shaking his head in disbelief. What do you know....there was NO BARKING all night long!!!! Guess the message got across, huh? I've been teaching him "STAY" and he's loving it. He already knew "SIT" when he got here, so we are adding to his training and he's thriving with it. This dog just adores us all. He gallops all over the yard with sheer delight, and when you call him, he charges back to lunge into your knees with glee and happiness. I don't think he was poorly treated in his earlier life. It's easier for me to think that some folks loved him and just couldn't afford to keep him so they let him off at our isolated street in hopes that someone else would take him in. That's better in my heart than to think he escaped some sort of mess that was hard on him. He's got the heart and soul of a devoted companion. Thanks, folks, for the suggestions. We are working to find just the right place for this paragon of boxer/pit bull virtue. He deserves it.