Are you done with the paper yet?

When we brought home a Yellow Labrador Retriever Puppy (soon to be named Coda) we knew he had big paws to fill. A month prior we had lost our 14-yr old Labrador, Jesse. We were grieving and stupidly thought a puppy would fix everything. Hindsight is a terrible thing. Our new bundle of joy was wrapped in the towel I made my husband bring to the breeder's just in case and we told our new pup that although his brother "died in the war" we would love him just the same. Now you're probably thinking this is a Marley story, but it isn't. For the most part Coda is a good dog. But when he isn't, Coda is complete goofball.

The first sign of trouble was when our 12 pound pup woke up. He'd fallen asleep during the car ride home and was so cute cuddled in my arms. Once awake, however, he wanted nothing to do with us. He wiggled out of my arms and explored his new digs with a gunfighter's swagger. Okay, so he's a confident little guy, I thought. It wasn't until that evening we pegged the personality of our independent 8-week old.

My husband and I were on the sofa watching our new puppy destroy a stuffed duck (the first of too many to count) when at last Coda looked up at us. He cocked his head and stared at us with big brown eyes. Did we see affection or playfulness in those puppy eyes? Nope. He was looking at us as if to say, Are you done with the paper yet?

That was a year ago - a year filled with gnawed table legs and evening puppy classes. As long as Coda gets plenty of exercise he doesn't chew the furniture or eat remote controls anymore. His favorite snack was the Comcast sampler. He also walks on a leash like a gentleman as long as he doesn't see one of his many many friends. And that's where this blog is really going.

Though Coda still looks at me and my husband like we should mind our own business, Coda's the Walmart Greeter of the canine world. He absolutely LOVES other dogs. I've never seen anything like it. He even shares his rawhide bones. Of course this gregarious personality isn't without folly. Like I said, Coda is a goofball and goofballs get into lots of mischief.