The timid shelter dog now guards a toddler's every step

Caroline found Yoda at an SPCA nine years ago, skinny and abandoned and too timid to make eye contact. Her sons named him for his ears, which reminded them of a certain small green Jedi. He has since moved across the country with the family and, when Caroline's grandson was born, appointed himself the boy's guardian. Yoda sniffed the newborn from head to toe, then lay down beside him. This is MY baby, the posture said. A few years after Yoda, Caroline picked up dog food and left with a puppy. His name is Anakin, sixty pounds of snuggle, and he and the grandson are best friends. The boy climbs into Anakin's crate and feeds him by hand. Two kittens named Luke and Leia are arriving soon from California. Caroline calls the whole crew her boyos. The timid shelter dog who once wouldn't look at anyone now refuses to leave a toddler's side.