The Pup

I often stop to think that if it wasn't for our B and his obsession with all those Buddy movies starring adorable golden retriever puppies playing sports or manning space ships, we probably wouldn't have our pup.

And I can tell you, in my completely unbiased opinion, he's probably the best dog ever. Really. He is! He is so unbearably sweet. He is like a giant stuffed animal come to life whose only purpose is to seek affection. I love this dog. I adore him. We all do.

I am not the only one. Apart from his adoring fans at home, Chewy has quite a following. He has gifts left for him in our mailbox. Our neighbors buy him toys regularly. They even asked us if they could buy a dog brush so they could come over and brush him. Anyone who walks by our house brings him a treat. And we have even had people take pictures of him and leave us copies of them. (He is quite photogenic, our Chewy.)

Yes, he sheds like crazy. He brings a whole lot of mud into our house. He also has a weird habit that he carries shoes around the house in his mouth. He doesn't chew on the shoes or eat them, he just likes to carry them around and put them on his bed. This means we are constantly searching for our shoes or tripping over mismatched pairs of shoes strewn about the house by the dog. He is also probably not the brightest dog and has been known to run into glass doors by accident. He could never be a watch dog, because he simply would love the intruders to death, rather than chase anyone off.

Unlike other dogs, our pup lives not for food, not for the treat, but for the belly rub or a snuggle. Every night, Chewy waits until the boys are all in bed. He knows that when I finally sit down each night, he gets me all to himself. My almost 100 pound lap dog jumps up into my lap for a snuggle. He will fall asleep with his head in my lap.

When we took a walk recently with the boys, the boys took turns carrying Chewy's leash. They raced ahead of me often, eager to see what was ahead of each corner. But if they got too far away from me, Chewy would stop and simply refuse to go any further until I have caught up and we were all in a group again.

Best dog ever. In my completely unbiased opinion, of course.