Ok, the people have spoken. We need a not sad puppet this month, and I can’t say that I disagree. So I’m going to tell you about Benny the border collie and his human, Meagan.

Ten years ago, Meagan was a month out from completing her nursing degree, and her then-boyfriend was helping his mom do some volunteer work. As a thank you, his mom was like, what can I give you in return? And Meagan was like, um, a puppy, TOTALLY as a joke! Meagan was trying to wrap up her degree in nursing, she and her partner lived in different cities, it was totally illogical! But her boyfriend’s mom set them up with an appointment at a local shelter you know… those famous last words… just to take a look…

When Meagan’s mom dropped them off she was like, again, just looking, and Meagan naively believed the same thing.

They walk in and see some rough and tumble little puppies, one older big, fluffy white dog, and a border collie. Meagan was like, absolutely not. They have SO much energy, are SO smart, need SO much training and stimulation… not for me. As they stepped into the fenced-in area, Meagan tapped her leg and asked him to come over and he was by her side IN AN INSTANT! So, she walked away from him and did the same thing… Of course, he flew to her. They did this for 15 minutes while also finding out he had some other trick s up his sleeve. Even though she knew she couldn’t take him back to her apartment, the person at the shelter was like, “Here’s a collar. If you don’t end up taking him, just bring the collar back.” Total mind games, this one!

So, they go home, no dog, but collar in hand and Meagan’s mom was like, if you really want him, I’ll keep him here until you can bring him home. And there it was…

About 6 weeks later, Meagan moved into an apartment that allowed dogs, and Benny the border collie came to live with her and her partner. He was super chill, never barked, and never had an accident in the house. Meagan said she loved training him because again he’s a border collie and SUPER smart. He would learn a trick in a day. Benny has a large repertoire of tricks, but his favorite is one he learned by accident. When training him how to “sit pretty” he did this cute thing where he’d flip one paw up which then turned the trick into “who’s cute?” Benny would pop up and stick his paw in the air. This is his party trick and he gets handed all the treats from guests because he’ll walk up to them, wait to be acknowledged, and put his paw in the air to say “I’m a good boy and I would like whatever treat delight you have to give me.” No one can resist this guy’s charm.

She and her boyfriend broke up, but Meagan got to keep Benny in the split and he was the best remedy for her during that time. A travel buddy, companion, etc. she went from Canada where she lived to Florida, then met a new person and moved to New Zealand! Of course, Benny was down for the adventure. They adopted Sika, another border collie, who, while I want to honor, passed far too quickly. Within two months of Sika’s passing, they brought home Chica, who is Benny’s constant playmate. Chica is almost 2-years-old and Benny just turned 13, and even though he’s slowing down, he always has time to play with Chica, even if it’s just Chica doing most of the running.

Meagan actually went through a recent break-up with her partner, but she made sure I knew that Benny continues to be the most faithful man in her life, and she got to keep Chica and the house!