Three Boys and a Little Lady: The Most Important Family Member

10 years ago a very young ~~Momma and Daddo~~ Jake and Wendy (we had no kids so only used normal names) drove just outside of Overton for an exciting event. We were friends with a couple who bred Labrador Retrievers. Jake always had labs around his house when he was growing up and really wanted one of his own as an adult. I was super excited to be getting a puppy to love and nurture. My motherly instincts were indeed kicking in as I was three months pregnant with our oldest son.
The breeders usually gave away one puppy from each litter to friends or family and then sold the others for $800 with registration papers. We were the incredibly lucky ones chosen for this litter; otherwise we would not have spent that much money and would have missed out on this incredible journey raising our dog.

We arrived and walked over to the dog pins, three in a row, each with litters of about 4-5 puppies inside. The litter that was ready to leave the mother had a mixture of black and chocolate pups and one yellow. They were eight weeks old. I don't remember exactly what helped us decide, but I do remember it was an easy decision. The petite little chocolate female with ocean blue eyes was scooped up in my arms as Jake inspected her snout and the shape of her head.... apparently an important characteristic to look for in a smart dog. She passed the test and we decided on our first child, a daughter (pretty ironic we later found out).
We got the registration forms, chatted briefly with our friends and headed out to go grab some puppy essentials.

The ride to town is one of those events I will never forget. It was almost dusk and we were driving into the sunset. Jake was behind the wheel and I had our new pup in my lap listening to her cute little puppy whimpers. We were discussing how lucky we were to get such a great dog for free. Jake talked about how he would read books on training labs and would take her hunting. Then we talked about what her name was going to be. A dog's name is so important. Like naming your child, this is a word you will be saying over and over every day. You need to like it; the sound of it and even saying the words.
We looked at her light blue eyes. They would probably change. Then I squinted my eyes into the bright orange and dark yellow rays of the setting sun and thought how her dark brown coat and golden high lights looked so similar. 'Sunshine' I said aloud. Jake agreed, then we quickly shortened it to 'Sunni.'
'What about a cute middle name to go with it?' I asked. My middle name is 'Love' and often people call me 'Wendy Lou' for some reason other than it sounds like 'Love' but isn't or maybe it just goes easily after saying 'Wendy.' I've never really understood why, but I thought about the name and mentioned 'Sunni Lou.'
Jake loved it and that was it. Not two miles down the road from picking her out of a litter, our little family of three was together, and Sunni Lou had her Momma and Daddo :)

Like every pet owner who has raised a puppy, the following weeks were perfect opportunities for Jake and I to prepare for our new baby; cleaning up poop, waking several times in the middle of the night to whimpers and cries, packing her food and bowl for trips... she was our practice baby.
I remember distinctly Jake telling me we had to train her to be around kids. We would have our first child in six months and planned on having at least one more... so she had to be calm and patient. When she would gobble down her bowl of food, we would mess with her and pull her ears and poke her belly. When she'd growl she would get a spanking. To this day, Sunni Lou has NEVER as much as growled at any child, whether she's being slapped, pulled, pinched or sat on, she is the most patient, kindest dog I have ever been around.
She is a lab that has never really chewed up items that weren't her's, never dug, or any of the other bad behaviors Labradors are known to have.
When she was about 10 weeks old we were in a boat on Lake Caddo just barely moving with a trolling motor. She saw a lilly pad (one out of hundreds) that she wanted. Before we could stop her she dove in the lake, swam to the special pad, and tugged unsuccessfully on the rooted plant. She swam back a little deeper in the water and Jake scooped her up in the boat. She's been diving in the water ever since.
Sports? She loves playing fetch and will bring that ball back to you until you have to make her stop either because she's dragging her head low to the ground or her body's sinking under the water. She still to this day sleeps with an old, bald tennis ball.

When she was still youthful and energetic, she was of course hyper. She would jump up on people when she saw them, and immediately get slapped on the tip of her nose. I said over and over again how I couldn't wait for her to be a lazy old dog that didn't jump on people.

Today our Sunshine Louise turns ten years old. This time has gone by so fast. She's been camping, hiking, truck riding, duck hunting, photographed, dressed up, bathed and loved. She's watched as we've brought home four new little people. She's patiently hosted a few stray dogs as we found them a home. She's dealt with four cats, who have come and gone. And she has been a wonderfully loving mother two two litters of her own.

Just like everyone who has a family pet, our Sunni is a member of our family.
My children adore her and think she is the best dog in the whole world. Daddo and I agree. We definitely think we got the pick of the litter that day ten years ago. She is such a blessing to us.

Happy Birthday Sunni Lou Jackson!