While at the post office, a pleasant man with a sweet smile stopped to pet Lucy. He said, “Hi, this must be Lucy, the one you write about.” I thought, “How sweet is that? Little Lucy Lou has another friend.”

Also, every week, I post my article on Facebook, which transfers readers to my website. Sometimes, a dozen, give or take, people will write a comment or send a thumbs-up or a heart emoji. On Halloween, I posted a photo of Lucy wearing her purple tutu, and the morning after, I had 27 comments and 81 emojis. Lucy is not only a wild woman, a sassy girl, and too cute for her good, but she’s a Sentinel Newspaper star. Just being herself, she has gained notoriety, and she doesn’t even have a TikTok or Instagram account.

Like all families, we have our disagreements. We recently had a heart-to-heart conversation: “Lucy, I pay your vet bills, get you groomed, buy you the most nutritious food, provide you with the best dog sitter, give you lots of treats, and take you walking daily. I think the least you could do is sit with me occasionally. That’s all I ask.” She waged her tail as she sat down, cocked her head to the side, and looked up at me with those big black eyes as if to say, “Nope.”

She is a character. She is also a writing topic when I can’t think of anything else and my favorite photo subject. At a year and five months, she is a sweetheart—she sleeps all night, knows to potty outside, and sort of heels when we walk. She is my little shadow. I seldom wonder where she is because she is at my feet or sitting on her favorite ottoman looking out the window.

I have found that when she wears sweaters, vests, or holiday outfits, she seems calmer and sometimes jumps up and sits with me. At first, I thought she didn’t feel well, but the close-fitting fabric must calm her down. There are heavy blankets to help humans manage stress and anxiety, and a friend confirmed there are compression coats for dogs.

Humans and animals are not so different. Those of you with a version of Lucy know what I mean. They are little furry people. After more than a year, we have figured out how to share, communicate, tolerate, and love. We even play and vacation together. She has lots of friends, one cousin dog, Rowan, who doesn’t like her much, and her people friends are my friends. She is my excuse for socializing, exercising, and resting.

She thinks I’m a keeper.

Until the next time: Live while you live.

Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of “My Clients…My Teachers,” and the blogger and writer of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.

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