Puppies I love

There's puppy love and then there's puppy love. Parisse, a black labrador/golden retriever mix is 11 months old and has some problems. One veterinarian diagnosed her as slightly developmentally delayed and having some sort of neurological deficit. A canine orthopedic surgeon said she's got panosteitis, a self-limiting bone disease that causes pain. All we know is that she's on pain medication and is just about the sweetest puppy in the universe. She is definitely the easiest by temperament.



Her half-sister, Beulie, is a yellow labrador/golden retriever mix, now 3-1/2 months old. She is as normal as normal can be, the very definition of a puppy. She romps, she plays, she smiles, she investigates, she snuggles. She also barks, but we're getting that under control. She sleeps through the night and she's almost, very nearly housebroken (joy of joys).

I discovered dogs late in life, didn't have my first puppy until I was 58. Now, at 62, I am beside myself with the love I expend on my dogs. (There's a third one, Brix, who's actually the first, the one who got me into all this.) Beulie is in training with Canine Companions for Independence, the goal being that she will eventually be someone's service dog and their best friend. In the meantime, she's mine for a while. Brix and Parisse are mine for keeps.