Donny Osmond's 1972 hit "Puppy Love" holds a special place in my dog-loving heart. It reminds me of the pets I had as a little girl, including my first canine love, Wilbur. I've written about him before. He showed up in our garage, a tiny brown hound dog who hid behind our broom and instantly won us over. There was no doubt he would live with us from then on. Sometimes he would follow my little sister and me to Simpson Elementary. One of us would go to the office to call our Mom to come get him. As a bonus, we got a nice greeting from our principal, Mr. Harvey Thrasher, dressed to the nines and always offering a smile and kind word. 

 

Wilbur had a best friend, a basset hound named Bubbles. She belonged to the Honce family who lived a couple blocks away, but she would come to our door nearly every day to get her BFF. We'd let him outside and the two of them would run Gordon Street, their tails wagging in unison. We had Wilbur even after I got married and it was a terribly sad day when he left our lives. Little did I know then, there would be a line of faithful dogs to follow.

 

The first was Zack, a sheepdog/collie mix who was our first baby, arriving a good year and a half before our first child. We had just bought our first house and decided to spend our savings on a chain link fence so Zack could have the run of the backyard. I arrived home from work that day so excited. I opened the back door and let him outside, watching him immediately leap across that fence.  Never in a million years did we think that big bulky dog could jump like that. Oh well, the fence came in handy when the kids did start arriving. Zack laid on the couch with us. He chewed the cedar shingles off our house. We loved that dog. 

 

The next pup in the Perine household was sable and white collie, She-Ra, Princess of Power. It was the 1985 cartoon series that inspired our oldest daughter Deanna to come up with the name - which certainly fit her well. She-Ra followed Deanna and her little sister Brittany around like it was her job. In later years, after our oldest son Jeffrey came along, she followed him around the neighborhood. We always knew which house he was at because She-Ra was lying on the front porch. When the neighborhood kids played baseball in our backyard, she was outfielder.  She was a gem for sure and brightened our lives for many years. 

 

Shortly after losing She-Ra, we decided upon another sable and white collie; this one named Savannah. We had done some research and found a litter in Sommersville. We paid a visit when the pups were just a couple weeks old and decided she was the one. We painted her little toenails pink so we would know her when we came back to get her. It was an exciting day. We piled in the mini van and headed south to get our newest family member. She actually arrived in our family the same year as our youngest son, Jacob. Those two were the best of buddies. The three of us would take adventure walks through nearly wooded lots. She would jump the creeks and Jacob would squeal with delight. She was under my feet every morning when I packed his lunch for school. I'd take the crust off his sandwiches and toss it to her. We lost her suddenly and unexpectedly when she was only 7 years old. It was a very sad Christmas at our house that year. 

 

But as January rolled around, Jeffrey was on a mission to put a smile on his little brother's face and he took action. He asked if he could take Jacob out of school for a special roadtrip. They came home with an adorable husky puppy, Shasta. She obviously loved the snow. We took her to Snowshoe with us that year and that tiny little thing would leap into the snowdrifts and disappear. She loved to harness up and walk and I'm not exaggerating that she's walked hundreds of miles around town. The kids taught her to say (something like) "I love you." She has funny little habits, like burying bones in the couch, hiding her kibble and stealing bars of soap from the shower. She has been a true joy and we are blessed to still have her with us. 

 

For a few years, we also had a brown and white collie we adopted from the Humane Society. Buddy was a big dog and he and Shasta got along pretty good. He reminded us of Clifford the Big Red Dog. Shasta would come down the hall carrying a plastic water bottle and Buddy would be behind her with a gallon milk jug in his mouth. One year, Buddy ran by the Christmas tree and took it down, ornaments and all. I never bought glass ornaments after that. Buddy came to us with some major health problems and he didn't live out his life expectancy, but left us with some giant memories. 

 

The newest pup to join our family is goldendoodle named Skye. We loved her from the first time we layed eyes on her picture, that curly light brown coat and the white patches under her chin and on her chest. She was the tinest little thing when we got her back in March of 2021 and she has grown so fast. She fetches like a retriever and loves like a real-life teddy bear. She literally hugs us with her oversized paws. Unlike her big sister Shasta, Skye has a very submissive personality. She's just happy being here and she loves everyone. You can count on her standing at the door wagging her whole body when we get home from work. Heck, sometimes she even gets to come to work with me. 

 

I wouldn't trade that line of dogs for anything. They have helped raise our kids, blessed our hearts, stirred our souls, shared fun times with us and even comforted us on bad days. We wouldn't trade those years of puppy love for anything in the world. 

 

Editor's Note: I hope this has reminded you of some fun memories with your pups. Please feel free to share those memories by commenting on this blog and send your photos to julie@connect-bridgeport.com.