From an early age, he saw dogs as four-legged angels on earth-ones he felt drawn to care for and protect. So when Al Mettner moved into a sprawling mountain home with his brother Jim, he couldn't wait to share the spacious land with some pups of their own.

As if sent by God above, Jake and Dingo soon appeared in the brothers' lives. From the time of their adoption and throughout the rest of their years, the dogs and their masters remained as close as could be-embarking on countless adventures and traveling back and forth from the snowy Bradshaw Mountains to their second home in...