I am thankful for this dog.

I found her at our local shelter the day after our beloved Violet The Best Dog died. We were so sad and I decided another dog was the answer. I went to several shelters and finally ended up at our local shelter. I didn’t try there first because I’d looked online and hadn’t seen anything that fit what we were looking for.

The lady who worked at the shelter asked me about our old dog that had died and what we loved about her and then she asked if she could show me Happy (Izzy at the time). She was said to be a 6 month old cattle dog mix. I almost said no because I knew we didn’t want a puppy and I definitely knew we didn’t want a cattle dog! No one had the energy for that and I didn’t want a dog that was smarter than me. We’d had a cattle dog before and when they say those dogs need a job or they will find one, they are not joking.

But I said I’d meet her and that was the end of that. She ran right over to me and put her head on my lap while the whole rest of her body wagged with her tail. She is a very people oriented dog. She settled right in and has been such a sweet dog ever sense. She has never met a stranger. She loves everyone she meets, and almost all animals. There has only even been two dogs she has snarled at and I blame the other dogs. haha. She even loves to go to the Vet!

But the thing I am the most thankful for with Happy is how much she LOVES the little kids. She is such a nanny dog. She will stand in front of them when they are near the pool and won’t let them anywhere near it. Which is especially annoying when were all actually playing in the pool! She always wants to be near them and she really does not like it when they cry. We have worked with her to respect their space. And we’ve worked with the kids to know not to corner her or be rough with her. There are times when the kids are being a bit rowdy near her and I wonder why she does not get up and move. Most dogs sure would. But she seems to love sticking right near them.

We did a DNA test on Happy and she came back half Labrador and half golden retriever and not a bit of cattle dog! Which does not surprise me at all because while she is the sweetest dog, she’s not all that smart. She has been known to actually run into things because she is looking to make sure you’re following her instead of where she’s going. We sure love her goofy self. She was the dog we needed in this time of life. I’m thankful God made dogs, and I’m thankful He made this one and let us find her.