Mandy and one of her pups

I have always had dogs. It started with a field bred English Springer Spaniel named Penny. My family got her 2 years before I was born. I was 4 when we added and Yellow Lab named Rebel. I know I'm a little biased, but I think that those were the best dogs. Even though Rebel was so big,  she was a lot taller than your average Lab, she was gentle and I could work with her easily. We've typically had two dogs at the same time, until recently. After we lost Penny, we added a cockapoo named Dolly, followed many years later by another Springer named Missy. Missy was such a sweetheart. She was the first dog that was actually mine. She was my 19th birthday present. I always say that I didn't pick her, she picked me. She climbed up into my lap and looked into my eyes for a long time. She seemed to say, "pick me, I'll love you forever." Unfortunately, Missy only lived for 6 years, due to many health problems. Before we lost her, we got a German Shepherd named Gemma and also adopted my brother's Papillion/Pekingese mix that he couldn't keep anymore. Her name is Snickers, because she looks like one.  We now have another Shepherd named Abby. Abby is still a puppy. She's been to puppy preschool and is currently taking her first obedience class. I'm looking forward to going through more obedience classes and have her earn her Canine Good Citizen.