Back during May – May 1st actually, our old lady dog Zoey passed away.  Zoey was part of our family, but she wasn’t exactly a loving pet.  When a storm would roll through, she would curl up by my feet, but that was the closest thing to snuggling we got from her.  If you happened to stop by her, she might have let you give her some pets or scratches, but on her terms, and as long as she was interested.  She was an easy pet and a mostly good girl, but she wasn’t consistent with my experience of dogs.  I grew up with lab-ish mutts of all varieties.  First on the farm in Tabor where at the peak we had 3 dogs roaming our yard, but none in the house.  When we were down to only one dog and Goldie was aging, she finally found her way into our house and became the first indoor dog of my childhood when I was probably between 10-12 years old.

Since I have moved out of my parents home they are on their second black lab.  Before Molly and now Lola I wasn’t really used to the extremely high energy dogs that they are.  Outdoor dogs on a farm may be high energy, but they also have lots of opportunity to expend it. Still, my idea of a good pet was based on these experiences.

When Zoey passed, I was ready to hang up the pet owner label.  It was nice to be able to leave the doors open anywhere in the house without having to worry about what would be ruined or dragged out of the trashcan.  I really enjoyed being able to leave home and not have to worry about what time we would get back to take care of the dog.

The last summer of daycare came and went and we were sitting on the cusp of no more daycare, no more commute for me to have to drive Eliot 10 minutes out of my way before heading back the same direction as home to get to work. The girls are self sufficient (mostly!) with Leila walking to school and back without requiring intervention from Cory and I, and Thea and Eliot now at the same school just steps from our front door.

And then…

I couldn’t help myself.

And Now…

This 60 lb and still growing bull is ruling the Coobs house.  She is a pain in the butt, but she happily wags her tail to greet me, which is what I always wanted from a dog. Most of us are enamored with Penny, especially when she is wore out.