Sophie

Just a little shout out to the furry four-legged member of our family. Sophie was our very first baby, as we had her long before we had Eva and Jaden. We picked Sophie up from a breeder in Ohio after the woman in the family that originally purchased her decided she didn't like her. Let me assure you...we lucked out on that one! Sophie is wonderful with everyone she meets....to the point that (when I was teaching) I would often would bring her into my classroom for the children to play with. I was often amazed at Sophie's ability to "connect" with students that had trouble connecting with other students. Animals are amazing that way. Sophie's entire family is full of show dogs (her dad is actually on the cover of a published Keeshond book) but her breeder said Sophie "just isn't show material"....maybe it's that crooked grin, or that fact that sometimes one ear droops...but that made us love her even more.

As our family as grown throughout the years Sophie has adjusted. We've never had to worry about her with Eva and Jaden. They play with her and crawl on her, and she tolerates it all. She loves the fact that Eva and Jaden seem to drop food more often than Matt and I ever use to...causing our vet to label her "severely obese" and putting her on a very strict doggie diet. Oh, poor poor Sophie! Even though I get frustrated when she occasionally has a lapse in doggie judgement (like helping herself to the food I set out for guests or sneaking a nap on the couch) in all, she is a great family dog. We are blessed to have her!

"Dogs are not our whole life...but they make our lives whole"