Yep...ours is too....a shelter dog. We get the same response about the breed too. When we brought her home she was severely under wieght, terrified of everything, and full of worms etc. A few months later though she's doing great...one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met ... other than our beagle/dachsund mix Rupert. It's like looking at Danny Devito and a regular sized woman together. They area an odd mix.
Your boss is the real deal man...I would love to take the hounds to work with me.