Beautiful, sweet Miss Penny. Penny passed away today, with my Mom and Dad by her side.

While I worked at the Wisconsin Humane Society, a puppy mill in Wisconsin was closing its doors and the shelter was able to take over and rescue all the dogs there. Penny was one of the over 1000 dogs who were being kept at this mill. At only about a year old, she had already had a litter, had ear and eye infections, and needed surgery on her knees to correct a deformity. Penny needed a safe place to be while going through surgery recovery, so I brought her home to my parent’s house for her to recoup. Miss Penny never went back!

Penny was such an odd dog – she didn’t understand a lot of the things that one would think is inherent for pups. She would sniff the end of a vacuum cleaner, preferred to pee on concrete over grass, laying in direct sunlight and overheating herself (with shade available… she just never moved into the shade…), and her favorite toys usually were just pieces of plastic (like bottle caps). Her favorite toy, though, was her “mouse” toy (actually a cat toy…), which is literally just a piece of fabric tied to a play fishing pole. She loved to chase and catch the “mouse” – and once she caught it, you could actually lift her up off the ground her hold was so strong. She caught a few real mice in her day, too… most likely her most favorite moments.

Penny was such an easy going pup who loved people, and was always so happy. I affectionately called her our ditzy cheerleader since she was always happy, but didn’t appear to be the smartest of dogs. When she was super excited, she had her own dance where she would rock side to side, jumping from one front foot to the other. But Penny was not much of a barker – things had to be REALLY exciting to get her to let out a single bark! My Dad loved trying to get her riled up enough for a bark, and I don’t think I ever heard her bark more than a handful of times. My favorite nickname for her is Princess Penny. It suited her well.

My Montague loved Miss Penny, and they were good buddies. When we first brought Penny home, Monty jumped the pet gate to give her one of his favorite toys. Penny and Gizmo of course were also best buds their entire lives. They went on so many fun adventures in the car with my parents, most recently getting to kayak at the local lakes. Ice cream cones had to be shared, but Penny made the most of it with BIG licks (okay, they were chomps!). Such good buddies, Gizmo even saved Penny from a coyote a few years ago. They were the best of friends. Part of me thinks Penny missed Gizmo and wanted to be with him again. I’d like to think they are together again, going on walk adventures, laying in the sun, eating ice cream, and snuggling up together.

I last saw Penny in Chicago when Mom and Dad drove down to see my rehearsal for Geek Bowl. Gizmo and Penny hung out in the car, but we did get to walk around a little bit at Navy Pier. I can’t believe I won’t get to pet her super soft fur on her floppy ears, or sit with her on the couch to just hang out again.

Give Monty, Loki, and Gizmo my love, Miss Moneypenny. I love you so much and know you will be forever missed ❤