Heroic German shepherd was beloved by Niwot Elementary kids

He was 120 pounds of black and brown love at the end of the school day for kids at Niwot Elementary School. For the past two years Sully the German Shepherd would wait outside the school to pick up his three "sisters," Maggie, Abigail and Emma, and walk them home. The girls and their classmates would blast out of the school doors, eager to find Sully and engulf him with their affection.

"I don't really think the kids were ever scared of him, because he just had this demeanor to him that you knew he was just the sweetest boy ever," said Mom, Lucia Richardson.

"They loved him and wanted to pet him," said seven-year-old Abigail Richardson, who never got tired of petting her beloved dog. "He would make my heart warm whenever I would pet him and he is so soft."

Sadly, Sully wasn't waiting at school when the semester ended. The 10-year-old Shepherd unexpectedly passed away from cancer a few weeks ago, leaving a Sully-sized hole in the hearts of the Richardson family, the students and other Niwot community members. People have dropped off flowers in the family's backyard. "Everybody just loved Sully," Lucia said.

Sully loved going for walks around town and beyond. He attracted admirers wherever he went. "We would get more compliments on him than we ever got on all three of our kids," said Lucia.

The dog's size was matched by his enormous capacity for kindness, something the family said he offered to people, dogs and wildlife. "He was just always very calm and very sweet for how big he was. We would have bunny rabbits and squirrels in our back yard because they all were friends with him." Lucia said.

There was one exception. The family went on a camping trip near Aspen last summer. They finished a hike and had a snack. Parents Troy and Lucia were relaxing in their camp chairs with Sully at their feet while the girls were playing in a stream when a cinnamon-colored black bear came out of the bushes.

"When I saw the bear, I was thinking, What do I do? My bear spray was back at camp. I can't punch a bear," said Troy. "It was kind of scary, because the bear was very curious about what was going on."

Troy said the bear was enormous, perhaps 500 or 600 pounds, and it was heading toward the children.

"I accidentally dropped a blueberry and, the bear, he must have smelled my blueberry or wanted to get in the lake," said Abigail. "He came there and we all screamed and Sully chased after him."

"He didn't hesitate to protect us. The bear was huge. He got like two feet away from him. He was barking. I've never seen him be so aggressive," Lucia said.

"He was willing to give his life," Troy said. When the bear ran off, Sully came back to his spot at Troy and Lucia's feet. "He laid down and fell asleep. He never does that. He gave everything he had," Troy said.

The family will never know the bear's intentions. But Abigail is sure about the end result. "Sully saved me."

For that alone, Sully will be a family legend. But they also treasure the characteristics that made him memorable in ways large and small. "He loved rocks. The bigger the rock, the better. It could weigh 30 pounds, it would not matter, and he would still pick it up. When he got a really big heavy one he would stride around the yard like he was proud of it. Like he was showing off."

Troy said Sully was emotionally tuned in, "He had this look, like he understood you, like he so understood your soul. I'd get home from work, and some days my days were rough, and he would put his head between my legs and lift up, as to hug me. He would look up like, 'How was your day? I miss you.'"

Sully was always in the background, looking after the girls. "He was sweet, but he was a protector. He thought of them as his little sisters," Troy said. The relationship started when their oldest, Maggie, was a baby. "You could see in the pictures," he said. "The first one is him standing next to her, like, 'Who is this?' The second one is her reaching over to pet him and the third one was him laying his head in her lap. They fell in love right away."

The dog was more than a pet. "He was like a son to us," Troy said. The loss is devastating for everyone and a harsh lesson about the reality of life for the girls.

"The first few nights were pretty rough for them. They have come to accept that's what happens," Troy said. "We have his ashes. We'll probably take them with us when we go places. Because that's what he liked to do."