Sunny earned her name every day that she lived.

I was inspired to talk about Sunny by comments and messages left on my other post. Sunny was one of the many blessings I've had in my life. Like many of my greatest blessings, she came into my life unexpectedly. After I left the military as a combat medic, I struggled to find a sense of duty in my regular life. My next door neighbor lost her dog which led to me checking my local animal shelter for her dog. It was there that I met Sunny. Something about that little lab face melted my heart in ways I can't describe. I never owned a dog before her, but I knew I wasn't leaving the shelter without her. I can't say that she was the perfect dog, but she was perfect for me. She had a sweet personality, lots of energy, mischievous, but hungry to learn and eager to please. I taught her to be my service dog. Throughout her life, she learned 28 different tasks and tricks. Everything from bringing in the groceries (mostly intact), to retrieving my shoes. There was little that I couldn't teach her with the right motivation. She lived 10 years before cancer took her and had bilateral TPLO surgeries. She was both obedient, and whimsically mischievous at the same time. She loved to dress up ever since I tried a thundervest on her once. By the end of her life, I began training dogs to visit patients in hospitals. Sunny had 12 hours of volunteer work before it was discovered that she had cancer. She was dearly loved, and dearly missed.