Jenni Styrk got her dog Bos'n, a pure bred Saint Bernard, almost five years ago and he's so named because her father is a pilot on a cruise ship. A Bos'n (or BoatSwain) is the senior crewman of the deck. He lives with the family Greg and Linda and Jenni's brother Ryan.

"My mom got him from somewhere really far, out south when he was a puppy and brought him back. We tied him to the front door and we went and hid and told my dad to go answer the door and he did and there was a Saint Bernard tied to the door!"

They had thought it was a good idea to get her dad a dog, "because my brother and I were going off to college."

Bos'n is a big dog at 175 lbs. but, "He's done growing," Jenni said laughing.

They feed him raw food twice a day. "It's like a big chub of beef and chicken and lamb all mooshed together," they get from "All the Best". He likes bananas and string cheese for treats and he's very attuned to the sound or maybe the smell of a banana, "and he will come running. It's pretty funny. I don't know how he got hooked on that."

"Every night after dinner he has this big pillow, we call it the Binky Toss. He bites it and rolls around with it and then it will be in his mouth and he will fall asleep like that."

Bos'n goes to Super Fun Happy Dog doggy daycare and they send him back with a report card. "Sometimes it says that he flirted with the tiniest dog there like a Chihuahua or Chow or something," Jenni said.

When you are a big dog like Bos'n being able to be social with other dogs is really important.

"The second they walk through the gate of our house he knows exactly what's happening and gets really excited. He loves it."

The family has two cats and he's actually a little afraid of them, despite his size. "He is so curious about them but if they come close he turns away. I definitely don't think he knows how big he is."

Bos'n is a smart and curious dog, and even a little nosy said Jenni. "Every day we leave the garage door open a crack when we go to work, just enough for him to peek out and watch all the action of the alley. In the front of the house he will rest his head on the railing and watch. He always wants to know. It's his favorite thing."

Jenni summed Bos'n up by saying, "He is the happiest guy. Every time we walk through the fence he's happy to see us. He's one of the easiest dogs to have because he's lazy. He sleeps 80% of the day. He's a cuddler and we needed that. We never had a dog growing up so now we love it when we go on vacation it's like 'send me a picture!' because we all just love him so much and he gives so much love back.