I didn’t want a Labrador. I had always thought they were a boring breed. Throughout my adult life, I’ve owned an Akita, an Akita/German Shepherd mix, and a Rottweiler—power breeds with brave hearts and unwavering loyalty. Labradors are just so... vanilla, I used to think.

While recovering from a complex surgery in 2022, I told Marc I wanted a puppy. After that whole ordeal, I deserved a puppy…and a fence to contain that puppy, didn’t I? Marc wasn’t particularly excited about getting another dog, but it was too hard for him to say no after the year we’d had.

We put up a fence, and Finn, my mom, and I drove out to Pittsburgh to pick up our new bundle of squiggly puppy joy. We named her Char, but it would have been more fitting to call her Shadow because she has been by my side ever since.

It took me a while to get used to having a Lab. They have a goofy walk, an energy-wasting bouncy run, and tails that could be aptly described as destroyers. She was afraid of everything for the first year of her life. However, she was friendly and welcoming to everyone we met on our walks, as well as to other dogs. I’m not sure I’ve ever owned a dog that wasn’t at least a little aggressive toward other dogs.

Little by little, she won my heart completely, and now I might be more obsessed with her than any other dog we’ve ever had as part of our family. Char is full of silly personality, endless energy, and is obsessed with water in every form except rain—because no walks. She seems to understand us unnaturally well and has her own language to “talk back” to us. Sometimes I hear her bark from upstairs and yell down, “Char’s ball is stuck under the couch. Can someone get it for her?!” She keeps me active with her intense need for exercise and has helped introduce me to many of my wonderful neighbors during our regular walks, which happen several times a day. She is the favorite dog of every kid in the neighborhood. Sometimes kids ring the doorbell and ask if they can throw the ball for her. Two of the kids’ friends were terrified of dogs before getting to know Char. Now, they are the first ones to run up to her and give her a big hug when they come over. She walks the kids to and from the bus stop every day, except on rainy days, and is my best buddy. It’s hard to imagine life without her.

And because she’ll only turn three once, we threw her a little birthday party yesterday and invited her best friend, Junie, to come over and play. There were pup cups, watermelon, and a basket of new toys to enjoy. It was a blast! Even though I was tired from a wedding the day before, I reloaded my camera and took pictures of the whole event. See them in the gallery below!

Char, Char Bar, Char Char Bo Bar, Miss Bar, Ding Dong, Cher Cher, Ber Ber, we love you so much. Thank you for being the perfect family dog, for letting the kids lie on you, for listening to their commands, and for watching out for them and everyone who lives nearby. You saved the day last week when you spotted smoke coming from our neighbor’s trash can and kept barking even though I told you to be quiet. We’ve added Fire Dog to your long list of pet names. You are one of a kind, even though you look just like most other American Black Labs. I hope I have many more years with you, but knowing you won’t be with us forever, I want to make sure I document your happy, happy life with us. Happy birthday, my sweet girl!