Happy Birthday Connor!

Connor turned 9 years old on Sunday. I can still remember when he was a tiny 7-week-old puppy; he completely stole my heart the day I brought him home. Reece could not understand what he was doing the first weekend – he slept! I just know Reece thought I bought a defective puppy (after he decided to acknowledge him). Reece would stand over the sleeping Connor and just stare at him, then look back at me asking me what he was doing and why he wasn’t awake and playing.

As Connor got a little older (and more fun), Reece would “accidently” (and completely on purpose) wake him up from a nap by hitting a ball at him. After about a half a dozen times of being rudely awakened by a ball bouncing off his nose, Connor sat up and snarled at Reece (as only a puppy can do) and promptly laid back down and went back to sleep. Reece looked at me as if to say, “Why did he do that? It was an accident!” But Reece also never disturbed Connor again.

Connor has also been the great teacher of puppies. He played with Ian when no one else in the household would (but now firmly agrees with everyone else that Ian could go any time). He softened up to Devon almost instantly since she was a Golden, just like him. He’s trained Devon to lead the pack after Reece turned it over to him in 2005. Now with his retirement from competition and Devon’s take over of the pack, Connor is working hard to maintain his importance.  He still reigns on the daybed and the corner of my bed every night. He makes sure to never miss a meal or something that could hit the floor in the kitchen.

Connor is the perfect English gentleman, and I’m so fortunate to still have him in my life. Happy birthday Connor!