Rex Crysup: The Latest in Designer Breeds

Meet Rex Crysup.

Rex is a fancy new "designer breed" — you know, like the labradoodles you hear about, or a puggle.

Did Rex's owners Darren and Meshea Crysup shell out thousands of dollars for their German Sheagle from some scammy flimflammer?

Heck no!

They did the smart thing when anyone is looking for a mixed breed dog: They marched themselves down to the McCracken County Animal Shelter and rescued Rex from death row.

And made a friend for life.

"He's adorable!" boasts Meshea. "His face is Beagle. His ears are shaped like a Shepherd's but hang down like a Beagle. He has the body and coloring of a Shepherd, and the short legs of a Beagle."

Rex returns the Crysups' kindness in every way he can.

"He has the perfect personality," Meshea volunteers. "If you are in the mood for a walk around the neighborhood, Rex is ready to go! If you want to sit on the sofa and watch TV, Rex is more than happy to take up residence on his very own personal love seat, which he is not keen on sharing when we have company. But he will for a Milk Bone or two...or six...or...."

Rex has come a long way from his days in the pokey. Every night, he's the first one on the couple's bed. Meshea explains that in the winter, he likes the electric blanket turned on and the bed warmed up before he jumps in.

"In the summer," she says, "he wants the ceiling fan on high! He likes you to keep the bedroom door open because since he does not have a nightstand of his own, he has to go to the kitchen to get a drink during the night."
 
With the help of Darren and Meshea, Rex has acquired super-dog powers. "He likes to shop for Mother's Day presents on eBay, but has to have Daddy's help because his paw-paws don't work too well on a keyboard," Meshea says. "He also has had his own blog, but he had to dictate the content to Momma because of his problems with a keyboard."

But he still takes his job as a dog quite seriously. The family has rehabbed a beautiful home in Paducah's exciting Fountain Avenue district.

"He's the ultimate in home security systems," brags Meshea. "You can find him on guard duty on his large front porch, behind our wrought iron fence when the gate is locked. He's vicious!"

But Meshea adds, "As wonderful as Rex is, nobody is perfect. Just don't tell Rex we said that...we'll deny it to the bitter end! He needs to work on being a bit tidier. He loves to roll in the grass before coming in off of 'patrol' — aka guard duty. He leaves little pieces of Milk Bones on the rug. He has not learned to vacuum up after himself yet. And, he hates to take a bath!"

Rock on, Rex! 

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