This was Muddy, our much-loved chocolate lab of many years. Sadly, we lost Muddy to cancer in 2013, making our house much emptier and our bed too roomy. For such a devious, opportunistic, slothful, snorfling, cake-eating, trash-loving, butter-licking, counter-surfing, cookie-snarfing, bacon-dancing dog, we loved her more than words describe (and this sentence really, really tried). She was always good for a laugh and a snuggle. I once asked Joel if that weird little dance he was doing in the kitchen was the Bears’ Superbowl Shuffle, he said “No. It’s the bacon dance. I learned it from Muddy.”

So here is it to the Muppet. May her handouts always be plentiful, the counters low, and someone nearby to scratch her chest as she was the best chocolate dog we could have ever had. And if you are lucky enough to make it to heaven, Muddy will be certain to greet you at the gate, wondering if you brought a little something along for her as a snack.

And yes, we did get more dogs because ours is a horse that can never be bereft of canine love. Eleanor and Beatrice, a charcoal lab and a German Shepherd, grace our lives and furniture to this day.