Urk

I have a 100 plus pound Labrador retriever named Penny.

She is a high-drive dog, full of energy and bounce, even for a Lab, and is my "wild child." We got her from the pound; the people who surrendered her said, "We didn't think she'd get so big, and boy is she hyper."

Isn't that the truth.

Penny is female but not feminine. She has taken on both of the "boys" at once and won, and she won't back down from any confrontation--I have to suave her into doing something or choose a valid motivation. We are taking agility classes, and she is fearless, racing across an eight inch wide board four feet off the ground, crashing onto a table which wobbles, and going full tilt into a tunnel while not knowing where the exit is. She is everything we want young female humans to be: brave, strong, and determined.

However, Penny has a "delicate system," which seems ludicrous in an animal this large. This most likely comes about because she will eat things first and ask questions later. Consequenly, she wakes us with what we have called "the midnight urka gurkas." And like she does so many other things, Penny does this with gusto, too.

Luckily, the vet recommended Pepcid AC for her malady; while it doesn't control everything completely, it helps her and us get some sleep.