From Adam C: This is Penny, our 18-week-old Labradoodle
I get emails! This one is from Juicer Adam C. He and his family just adopted this adorable fluff-ball. You may remember his question a few weeks ago about Canada to US puppy passports. Looks like she made it across the border and is happily adjusting.
We were able to keep her at the in-laws’ for a couple of days before heading home, which was good because she was pretty despondent on the first day. By day three her tail was up and she was cheerfully investigating things, and not even the long car ride to Thunder Bay brought her spirits down. We arranged her crate in the back of the car with the door open and space for her to sprawl out in front of it or access the teenage boys in the back seat. We made frequent stops – but then, we all have to pee sometime – and made it without incident.
She is every bit as cute and soft as she looks. She loves balls and will race around at top speed before circling in for a two-footed puppy pounce. This will fit in well with our soccer-heavy family. She also loves belly rubs, obviously, and chewing everything in sight. And she’s chosen me as her favourite, which is a definite mixed blessing; my wife is clearly jealous (for the dog, not me), and separation anxiety is very much not something I’ve missed about parenting young children.
We’re still establishing routines, and there’s a lot of training in her future, but she’s a very smart and special little dog.
Let’s give Penny a big Balloon-Juice welcome. Squeeee!
Open thread.
Elizabelle
Pennny’s a love. Everyone lucked out. Have fun!
Dorothy A. Winsor
Squee indeed! She looks happy.
JPL
What a wonderful story, and I’m so pleased she found her forever home! Happy Dog!
Miss Bianca
Welcome, Penny! A friend of mine breeds Labradoodles, and they are just such lovely dogs! The best of both breeds in one soft snuggly package!
SiubhanDuinne
Penny is adorable. What a nice story!
Elizabelle
And teenage boys in Penny’s life. They will all get along fine.
biff murphy
who’s a good girl… penny is… yes she is, good girl!
JPL
Adam, Please share pictures as she matures. I don’t see a laps in her future, or though she’ll probably disagree.
Yarrow
Aww..so cute. She looks like the Goldendoodle my former neighbors adopted. She was so cute as a puppy and grew so fast into a big dog. Enjoy her puppyhood; she’ll be a teenager before you know it.
Mnemosyne
@JPL:
Every dog is a lap dog if they decide they want to be. My high school boyfriend’s mom had Borzois that wanted to be lap dogs. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they had been willing to lay down across your lap, but they insisted on standing. ?
JPL
@Mnemosyne: lol I had a few goldens, so I know what you mean.
Amir Khalid
Goodness gracious, how does Penny carry so much adorableness in that little body of hers? She’s a darling!
MomSense
Penny is a sweetheart. I’ve always thought Penny the ideal name for a dog. After all, Homer’s Penelope was wise, loyal, and clever.
The weather may actually be cool enough today for a sweater. This makes me very happy.
JPL
@MomSense: brag, brag, brag. Enjoy the outdoors though, even if I am green with envy.
Suzanne
Oh my God, what a dolly! Squeeeeeeeee!
Gin & Tonic
Irony is dead.
MomSense
@JPL:
We have had such a hot and humid summer and we aren’t prepared for that kind of weather. We earned this cool day!
TaMara (HFG)
Aawww, Bill Daily has died. I loved him on The Bob Newhart Show.
Here’s a fun clip of bloopers from the show.
Adam C
We didn’t end up crossing the border – it seemed pretty clear she wouldn’t have been allowed, and from where we were it didn’t matter which side of Lake Huron we travelled around. It just meant extra driving the week before we got Penny to visit friends in Sarnia.
We’re not encouraging laps in general – looks like she’s going to hit at least 50-60 lbs. We are picking her up here and there, though, as we struggle to teach her about “come here”.
Quinerly
?
Miss Bianca
@MomSense: Well, if we want to get all classical’n’shit, Argus was really the first one to welcome Odysseus home, but strangely, that doesn’t seem to be a popular name for doggies these days…tho’ I do remember reading a book as a kid (I think it might have been called, “A Dog on Barkham Street”), that had a dog named “Argess” – as I recall, the owner of the dog wanted a somewhat feminized form of the name, since it was a female dog, and that’s the first reference to Odysseus and his faithful hound that I ever remember reading.
Amir Khalid
@Adam C:
I’ve heard that some dogs never grow out of being lapdogs even after they’ve outgrown their humans.
Shell
Congrats! She is such a sweetie. And I’m so envious.
Emma
What a beauty. Pet pics are one of my favorite things about BJ. Instant mental health.
OldDave
@Gin & Tonic: I thought irony died when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
laura
It’s always you and I and NOW with a dog. She sure looks good for petting and hugging and loving.
MomSense
@Miss Bianca:
I think Argus is a great name for the right dog. My mom’s childhood dogs were Hector and Brutus. Her last dog was a long haired miniature dachshund my kids convinced her to name Hercules. They were little then and thought it was a funny name for such a small dog.
debbie
She clearly can’t wait to become one of the boys!
Steeplejack
Certain names can get damaged by pop culture. Whenever I hear “Penny” now, all I can think if is that Russian call-center guy in the TV ad. (Not even sure now if his name is Penny!)
ETA: Oops! Peggy. Never mind. (Discover card ads.)
raven
Another knucklehead!
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
Floofy puppy is floofy. Squeeee!
Hilfy
Thanks for a cheerful start to the weekend. Great improvement over the ambient atmosphere. I want a sweet dog like Penny, but my cats don’t.
Kayla Rudbek
Ok, since this is an open thread and I can’t search the comments, should I get a 3-quart instant pot duo 9-in-1? The local Home Goods has 4 in stock. We are a 2-person household
ruemara
Hello, Penny! Congratulations on your new Adam C & family! It’s nice news to wake up to.
Ladyraxterinok
Some yrs ago we visited Thunder Bay and discovered the fabulous fort nearby that was so important in the Hudson Bay fur trade. Esp liked the dr with his jar of leaches. Would have loved to be there when the French trappers arrive each summer. IIRC there’s a big celebration.
ruemara
@Kayla Rudbek: you can cook for a week of dinners.
NotoriousJRT
What a great antidote for my political pall. Well done!
raven
@Kayla Rudbek: Thats’s what we two have and it’s great.
zhena gogolia
I know there are some Hot Fuzz (2007) fans on here, including front-pager MMMM. Does anyone remember that it includes the line “Make Sandford Great Again,” spoken by someone who’s been committing murders in order to preserve the squeaky-clean whiteness of his village? I just watched it this morning and was blown away by the prescience!
MoxieM
Gorgeous fluffy pupper. All the ‘doodles I been privileged to know have been wicked smaht–Some are bouncy rubber toys, others are cool, calm collected. But they’re all sweet and gorgeous and softer than soft.
congratulations!!
debit
What a sweet pup!!
Litlebritdifrnt
This is why I love twitter. Paul Bronks (I think) just posted a short video of Waffles the Great Dane riding in the sidecar of his owners motorcycle with his BFF a Pomeranean called Biscuit attached to his chest with a baby carrier. They are both wearing hot pink motorcycle goggles and having the time of their doggy lives. After watching that I suddenly realized that no matter what else is going on in some little corners of the world, all is right with it.
spudgun
I’m so glad everything worked out for you!! What a cute furry boo – you are so lucky.
Congrats and welcome, Penny!
Gin & Tonic
@Kayla Rudbek: I think consensus has been that the 3-quart is small-ish unless you live alone. We are mostly just two, and have a 6-quart.
Yutsano
@MoxieM: I’m seriously melting on getting a fur kid. Am leaning more towards doggo although have no objection to a couple of kittehs. A calmish Labradoodle would work great!
raven
@Gin & Tonic: Come to think of it we do too!
Dorothy A. Winsor
Oh hey, Tamora Pierce and Rachel Neumeier have both asked for copies of The Wind Reader to see if they’ll endorse it. I have to lie down.
I am so afraid no one will buy this book and my very nice, socially conscious publisher will lose money. Cripes. My new writing group has an invited speaker this afternoon, and I’m going to that. There’ll be snacks.
Annie
Ohh, how adorable! Please post more pictures as Penny grows up and settles in.
Steeplejack
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Good news! I hope you get a lot of blurby buzz.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Steeplejack: With a small press, it’s really hard to get word of the book out because bookstores don’t stock the books.
Mnemosyne
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Whoa — that’s a pretty big score! You may want to bring a fan to lie down with. It definitely lowers the odds that your publisher will lose money on it.
Sab
Our local city park often has events, like concerts, art shows, gay pride fair etc. This weekend was for dogs. I had thought that was a bad idea for Ohio in early September, but we are having a mizzly rainy day, the tempetature is mid 60s and the dogs seem to be having a blast.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Mnemosyne:
My husband isn’t here. :-) Oh, not that kind of fan.
I’m not sure endorsements make a whole lot of difference. Saladin Ahmed endorsed my last one which sold very poorly. But it’s sure good for my ego.
TaMara (HFG)
@Litlebritdifrnt: You have to know that EVERYONE posted that for me on my FB page. It was adorable.
TaMara (HFG)
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Woot!!
raven
@Sab: This is the event my wife started and continues to spearhead
Boo-le-Bark on the Boulevard
Dorothy A. Winsor
@TaMara (HFG): I know!
Mnemosyne
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I don’t read your genre, but even I know who Tamora Pierce is, so that’s why I’m thinking her endorsement might make a difference.
Sab
@raven: What fun. My late lamented GDS would have loved it, costumes and all.
raven
@Sab: And a healthy fundraiser for out local pet-rescue!
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Mnemosyne: Lordy, I hope so.
The writers group speaker this afternoon is from Sourcebooks, which is located in Naperville. I see they’re open right now for romance submissions.
Mary G
Internet and real-life pets are the only thing keeping me sane these days. Penny is adorable and I’m glad you finally got her across the border.
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Congratulations!
debbie
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Nice! And yes, endorsements count!
Kayla Rudbek
Heh. When I was discussing this with my spouse over lunch, his thought was that we don’t need a pressure cooker when a regular crockpot will be enough. Although he admits that he’s never used a pressure cooker before. So here’s the debate: instant pot versus regular crockpot!
raven
@Kayla Rudbek: Not even close, instant pot.
Louise B.
@Kayla Rudbek: the instant pot has a slow cooker function, and that’s what I find myself using most. It’s better than a standard slow cooker for foods that benefit by some stirring because it will heat back up quickly after you take the lid off. BTW, I have cooked with a 6 quart and a 3 quart multi-cooker for our 2 person household, and prefer the 3 quart.
Marcopolo
Sorry to barge in here w/ an election related comment but just finished up a door-to-door canvassing shift in Arnold, MO. This is the MO-2 congressional district that we are trying to flip from R to B.
First, great turnout for the grand opening of the Jefferson County MO D campaign headquarters—25-35 folks in a reddish area w/ a forecast of heavy rain (narrator’s voice: it did not rain). I drove a half hour south from my safely blue area in St Louis County to find both the candidates from my state house race (the winner & loser!) also came down to knock & went out together which if you have experience w/ politics is both very unusual & awesome.
I went out with a current MO state house rep (also from St L County) and got the normal high number of not homes but also IDed a few supporters of the D state senate candidate we were knocking for.
Last, but not least, I finally got to meet Cort VanOstran the D candidate for MO-2 who came in to do afternoon canvassing as I was getting ready to head home. Not a bad morning.
Gin & Tonic
@Kayla Rudbek: Raven’s right.
Jeffro
Lotta good stuff in the Post today but I hate to drop it all in a thread about puppies and other good things. Somebody gimme a shout when the next thread goes up! =)
Mnemosyne
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Sourcebooks was all over the RWA conference. They seemed like nice people. Two of the editors did a presentation about falling in love with the manuscript of Amanda Bouchet’s “A Promise Of Fire” and figuring out how to properly market it.
Mnemosyne
@Kayla Rudbek:
I’m seriously considering an Instant Pot to use it for slow cooking, because the temperatures are more precise and the stainless steel liner is WAY easier to clean than a ceramic crock.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@Louise B.: instapot. It has a slow cooker function if you need that, but I predict you’ll use the pressure cooker function instead to try to cook foods you’ve never bothered with before because everything can be done in under an hour except for stuff that used to take days (yogurt, rich beef stock, osso bucco) which can now happen in hours. It’s addictive!
And, like the slow cooker, you can set it & then open it later & everything’s done. Great for having people over to dinner, you can stay in the living room with your guests.
debit
@Kayla Rudbek: Both! I use both for different things. Want a roast done in 90 minutes? Instant Pot. Want a roast with potatoes and carrots? Crock pot. (I don’t like the slow cooker function for the Instant pot as it only heats from the bottom, not on all sides.) I admit to poo pooing the IP when it became all the rage, even had one as a house warming gift that I never even unboxed, then tried it and loved it. Still think it turns veggies to mush when you do a roast, though.
germy
Onion headline:
WereBear
Congratulations on the shiny new Penny!
Tazj
Love the pictures! What a cute fluffy dog!
Mnemosyne
@debit:
My crockpot turns all vegetables to mush. I may be doing something wrong. ?
Kristine
What a lovely pupster!
majii
Your Penny is absolutely beautiful! I adopted my four-legged baby a little over a year ago from our local shelter here in Middle GA. They had named her Penny. I liked the name but changed it to Penelope Penny. She’s a lab mix. She is a wonderful addition to the family. My daughter graduated college and took a job in another state. I was alone until Penelope Penny arrived. She loves when her big sister visits. My daughter came home for Labor Day, and she and Penelope Penny were inseparable.
Miss Bianca
@Dorothy A. Winsor: WOW! That is so cool!
Mandarama
Oh, such a pretty girl! Congrats, Adam C. and family! We are hoping a pupper finds our family soon, too.
Mandarama
@Kayla Rudbek: Instant Pot. I’m not kidding when I say it’s changed my life–mostly because I never remember to thaw things properly or plan very well (I’m an indifferent cook, sadly). I can get home from work and have something great in no time. Pinterest has become my second-best friend after the Instant Pot, because good cooks convert their recipes and post them. I owe a lot of good karma back to those folks!
workworkwork
@Mandarama: I was hesitant to use mine at first but I found some recipes and just tried them out.
Now I use it for almost everything. It’s great for re-heating frozen leftovers as well.