You ask, you receive

I was surprised to find people asking me to post more pictures of Lucca. Granted, my brother is one of those people and it's not exactly 'cuz he reads my blog but because it seems he wants to show friends pictures of her. But all the same - Lucca's getting another post!

"Playing at the dog park is one of my absolute favorite things to do!!"
(this is likely the day she injured her paw which triggered $900 worth of vet bills...)

"Mom needs lots of supervision in the kitchen. Especially if she drops something
on the floor. *sigh* must I do ALL the cleaning?!"

Lucca is growing - FAST. She's now 51 pounds and while it sounds like a lot - she's actually on the small side for her age. I can't imagine comprehending how big she'd be if she was growing at the rate of an "average" Labrador!! The vet thinks she might continue to grow into her 2nd year, especially since her parents are quite large. But I really don't care. I'd almost prefer her to be on the small side so that I can pick her up if I really need to (like I had to, to get her into her bathtub last week!)

"Why do they laugh so hard when I do this? It's a nice
stretch through my quads..."

"And why does everyone run for their camera when I sleep in my nice
quiet den at 'Grandma's' house? It's comfy and dark under the table!"

Today is Lucca's 9 month birthday. I can't believe she's been with us for over half a year already! I'm really not being biased when I say she is SUCH a sweetheart. People tell us ALL the time. She has such a mellow, sweet temperament. She just wants to be near people.

"As soon as Dad got home from Africa, we picked up right where
we'd left off - snoozing on my bed!"

"A treat??!!??!! I will do anything you'd like!! At attention! At your service!!"

I was having a really rough day recently and as I lounged around moping I couldn't help but notice how often she'd come to the side of the couch, sit, and just stare at me. After a few seconds she'd put her paw on my arm as if saying "I'm here for you" (in reality it probably meant "so, you wanna give me a snack or are you gonna lie there all day?") Needless to say, I broke some rules and let her lie with me on the couch that day.

"This thing they call Christmas is really tiring. And it gets really hot by the
fireplace all day too. Those humans are CRAZY!"

"Perhaps I look like I'm posing, but in reality I'm paying close
attention to some food being handled in the kitchen."

Don't get me wrong... Lucca has her moments. Her newest "trick" is to push her exercise pen (which surrounds the patio outside, in order to keep her out of the dirt) with her nose until she can reach said dirt - and then she digs to her puppy heart's content; dirt is flung in all directions and then tracked into the house on her paws. I try to remind him that he should be proud she's so clever. But it's hard to remember such things when one has to interrupt himself to go wash puppy paws and hose down a patio.

"Even if I'm fast asleep at the time, I HAVE to get up to see what's
going on when 'Grandpa' builds a fire in the fireplace."

"It can be quite fascinating to gaze down upon
everyone from the top of the staircase."

Everyone loves Lucca though. We get compliments ALL the time. She has so many wonderful traits that make me feel so lucky to own this particular doggie. I can pet her and harass her and give her noogies while she's eating. She comes when called; even as she's just excitedly trotted out the front door! She isn't the least bit aggressive with any other dogs; if anything would only annoy them out of desire to play with them! Other than a few shoes we've left in her reach and that previously discussed dirt on the patio -- she's not overly destructive. The only time I've ever heard her bark is at the dog park when she can't keep up with a playmate! She's never tried to escape from anywhere - hasn't even tried jumping over her 3 foot gate that keeps her in the bathroom for hours at a time. After quickly recovering from the excitement of meeting a child - she's absolutely and completely gentle with them.

"These girls are crazy. But I'll still play with
them since they throw my ball for me."

"Ahh it was so nice to have someone keep me company during the Chinese
New Years party. Mom couldn't pay any attention to me!"

As you can see, I could go on and on about my doggie for days. She's my baby - at least until I have a baby. I worry about her and spoil her and discipline her and sacrifice my own purchases for her recent $900 vet bill. [Good news - no surgery needed for a persistent limp! Just rest and some meds.] And as long as you folks ask for her - I'm more than happy to blog about her!

Happy Nine Months Little Miss Lucca!