Penny's 'Gotcha' Day

Three years ago on May 10th I adopted Penny, a toy poodle. from a Portland area rescue called Stumptown Strays. The rescue is run by veterinarians who offer 'tune ups' to pets in shelters with medical needs. Penny had been a stray in Fresno, California and had dental problems. Stumptown Strays extracted her teeth, spayed her and when she was stable adopted her out. My mom has three standard poodles who are high energy and always bouncing around. I thought that perhaps getting a toy sized dog would mean I could have the cheerful and cuddly disposition of a poodle without the ability to reach the counter tops. I didn't know you could rescue a perfect little poodle. With the help of my Friend Lydia, who's fostered many dogs on the way to adoption, I was able to position myself as a great candidate for dog ownership.

For years my partner Rory and I struggled to find stable housing in Portland. We'd moved almost every year the first 9 years we were together. I couldn't ethically bring a dog into our life moving between rentals that might not allow pets. Once I knew we were in a solid situation with housing and finances, I was able to welcome Penny.

The first time we brought Penny to the Oregon coast we realized that this was her first time at the ocean. Everything appeared new to her. She ran around in a state of bliss, smelling the salty air but avoiding the scary waves. When we take her to the Longbeach Peninsula in southwest Washington we have to keep her close because we've see Bald Eagles eyeing her like a little snack. "I see you Sea Chicken!" I shout at the circling eagles as I put her leash back on.

As the sun rises earlier and earlier in the Oregonian spring, Penny wakes me up at dawn crying. She doesn't want to go outside or to eat breakfast, she wants me and Rory to get up and move to the couch and hang out with her. Her self appointed job is to be with me, preferably sitting on me or guarding me somehow. Sometimes she'll turn and look at me and put her paw on my heart. There's been a joke gift in Rory's family that gets passed around like a hot potato. It's a plastic placard with a painting of a white poodle on it that says "Poodles leave paw prints on our hearts". It's the cheesiest and ugliest object in creation and we're keeping it, forever.

-Caitlin