Today is my dog’s 8th birthday (when I first wrote this, I wrote 7th…it’s just been that kind of start to the year…please don’t tell her). But in honor of her EIGHTH birthday, I thought I would write a post about the furry little one that has a big spot in the village it takes to raise my kids. Her name is Penny. We call her Penny May and Pen-Pen.
Just short of eight years ago, I drove up to the Adirondacks to pick up a new puppy, one that I had no idea was going to completely change my life.
Growing up, I did not adore dogs the way I adore her. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t like them as I didn’t like their slobber and the responsibility of taking care of them. I also had been chased by a few of them while out for morning runs and after one left a mark, I didn’t trust them.
But I also didn’t understand their companionship, their capacity for relationships. I didn’t understand the powerful connection you can have with something that wasn’t human. But this dog completely changed that.
After deciding once we brought her home, she would sleep in our kitchen, we set her bed up there and I drove off to get her. When I got home, my husband was out of town for the night so it was up to me to set the bedtime routine. A few whimpers and I decided that since our room would have probably been our second choice for where she would sleep, we could just go with that. Eight years later, three infants have come and gone from our room but she has kept her place at the foot of our bed.
The first few months with her were typical. She chewed everything in sight, which only reinforced how smart we were for not doing any renovations when we first moved in.
She peed inside, she peed outside, and she eventually learned dogs pee outside sometime around when my oldest was potty training and one of his books made it a clear point — dogs pee outside. Sometime around then she learned and still uses it as a weapon when she’s mad at us. Her favorite place to pee is the spot where the three boys’ bedrooms converge in the hallway. She picked the perfect place — she made her point she was there first and she was sure we would step in it in the middle of the night.
She ate everything in the beginning and still does. Except that in the beginning, a quick google search informed of when I have to take her to the vet and when I don’t. If you saw the volumes of her medical chart, you might think she had several chronic conditions or a really bad owner. Nope, just one chronic desire to eat everything she comes into contact with an owner who has gone to great lengths to keep her safe. But Penny, she capitalizes on every mistake I make. Leave a raisin bagel on the table to run out to get my 6 year old on the bus, gone less than two minutes, and she has had enough time to come downstairs from her bed, snatch it from the table, eat it, and resume her position on the couch before I even enter the house. I need a few more cameras in my house to see how she does this.
And in those first few months, when I bought a book on how to train your labrador retreiver, well, before I got a chance to read it, she chewed it. So that’s how that went.
But over those first few months, I took her everywhere. She came with me to baseball games, on our vacations, and we even took her with us to a friend’s wedding once (she was not the flower girl, we did keep her in the hotel).
She kept me company though during those early years in our marriage when my husband was working long hours and I was home alone. Friday nights were our dance party nights. I would crank up the music and while I danced, she wiggled and wagged along with me. It was silly but it was fun. It relieved the stress from the week, and made me laugh even when I didn’t want to. Her ridiculous, puppy dog face, was full of joy as soon as I turned on the music.
And she kept us both company nights we just needed to sink into the couch and relax. The right side of the couch was her spot. Until we had our first baby, and then she made a statement by first refusing to be on the couch for months and then eventually, choosing the left side to end her several month boycott. Once she resumed, it became so much a part of our routine that if one of us hadn’t come to sit with her by a certain time, she would either sit moaning at our feet or go steal our wallet. There was actually a time during the beginning of the pandemic when we were hardly ever relaxing or sitting and she actually took my husband’s wallet out of his work bag, unbeknownst to him, and took it behind the couch and shredded twenty bucks and our insurance card. We had just had a baby and I’m pretty sure she knew how much medical care for an infant costs. My husband also didn’t realize it until he was already at work, without money for lunch or gas. These are all true stories — she’s just that good.
It was about seven months after we brought her home though that I realized she was more than just good company, she was more than a friend, she was going to be right there with me to raise my kids. She was going to love us, teach us, and protect us.
It was a chilly October evening and I had just found out I was pregnant with our first baby boy five days prior. I was glowing when she and I headed out the door to her puppy lessons, the ones we clearly needed after she proved I was failing at home by eating the training book I purchased.
I pulled into the parking spot, got out of my car, and turned around to see two men approaching me. I froze, suddenly consumed by not only fear for myself, but also for my belly. I had never been in this position before and now it wasn’t just me anymore. As the two men approached me, I wondered if anyone would hear me. It was a busy parking lot with several other stores around but the traffic seemed louder than any scream I could have made. And despite people all over, it seemed like I was completely alone. Pitch dark out, I didn’t know if anyone would see me. I also didn’t know what they wanted.
Within a few seconds, as I processed what was happening, they were now only a few steps away from me. I had no flight, I was completely stuck in fright as they approached asking me for money. As I went to hand it to them, hoping that was all they wanted, that little protector came running to my rescue. My nine month old puppy, who I had let out of the car just before me and who had run towards the front tire of my car, came back around and unleashed her fury on them. She surprised all three of us. That night, my Penny, barked in a way I had never heard her bark before and a way I’ve never heard since. She has never displayed any aggression towards any human being since. But that night, sensing my fear, she was there. She protected me, she protected us.
They didn’t approach her or me after that — she had made sure they wouldn’t.
The police were notified and the rest of that night is a blur. We didn’t stay for the puppy lessons, I decided she had already taught me everything I needed to know about our relationship that night.
Since then, she has gone on to do the most ridiculous things, stories that would have you laughing hysterically when you hear them. They also can bring about a lot of stress for her caretakers but still, she has brought our family so much. That night, they didn’t get my wallet or anything else they were after. She had protected me, she protected my baby, and she protected our family. For that, I will always be grateful to her.
Fast forward almost eight years later and she still sits with me on the couch, she still dances with us when we turn on the music, and he is absolutely, one hundred percent, part of our village.
Stay tuned for more Penny stories and ways that pets play an important role in our lives. And a very happy 8th birthday to you…Penny May!
Check out this easy recipe I make every year with my kids for Penny’s birthday: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/dog-birthday-cake/
In this silicone pan: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZIEKMB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
While I hope you enjoy reading my posts, kindly be advised that the words in this article are not medical advice and I cannot guarantee that they will work for you or your family. They are my reflections on parenting my three boys, based on my own personal background and experiences. Always reach out to your own health professionals for any questions or concerns. Please read my full disclosure at the bottom of this site for more information. Very sincerely, Mamma P.
