Personality plus

I was supposed to go out of town last week to beat some snow that was forecasted the following morning.

I delayed that trip by about 30 minutes because I kept laughing at my dog.

I have a full-length mirror sitting on my floor that I've had for about a year. My dopey dog just noticed the mirror and looked at it. Apparently she didn't like what she saw.

She did a play bow, wagged her tail a few times, then got really upset. She barked, she growled, and the hair at the back of her neck stood straight up.

She was upset at herself in the mirror. It was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.

She'd run across the room, look in the mirror again, then get upset when she saw her reflection. This went on for about 20 or 30 minutes. I couldn't stop laughing.

My dopey, dorky Pug.

Today is a good day to talk about her. Three years ago today I picked Penny up from the animal shelter in my hometown. It was three days before my 26th birthday, and I was pretty nervous about getting a dog.

What was I going to do with her? Was I going to be a good dog parent? Would she like me?

Oh, life. It turns out that Penny was the worst birthday gift I've ever received.

Penny had separation anxiety when she was a puppy. She was crazy, and her butt got put on anti-anxiety medicine for the first few weeks I had her/my family had her.

By the time my birthday rolled around that year, I hadn't slept in three days. Penny cried at night. She spit in my face. My 11-pound puppy ate her way through a metal crate. When I tried sleeping beside her crate on a wood floor, I got mad one night and asked her what the hell was wrong with her.

She didn't answer me.

Three years later, Penny is a pretty normal dog, who does normal dog stuff.

She snores. She snorts. She sometimes lays on my head. I yell at her more than I should about how I don't want her ass on my pillow. She hides dog bones in my laundry basket. She gets mad at tall people for no reason.

She also doesn't like new things. When I buy new picture frames and hang them on my walls, she notices and pouts for a few days.

Pugs have personality plus.

All in all, Penny is one pretty bad ass Pug. Her favorite toys are tennis balls, but she'll play with any toy if given the chance.

And if you buy her an anniversary gift, don't even think about buying her the cheap tennis balls. Her favorite ones are the soft ones that squeak, and they are the more expensive brand.

Give her a tennis ball that doesn't meet those requirements and she just acts so sad and disappointed in you. And then you feel guilty for taking the cheap route in life.

Trust me.

You can't look at Penny's grey chin, her under bite, and hear her snorts and not like her.

If you know Penny, you love Penny.

We've had some good times the past three years. I'm excited for the next three.