What can I say about little Leia? Well, before she came to us, Brad (husband), Barry (our black lab) and myself had been searching for that perfect puppy to complete our family. We knew we wanted a small, fur ball of a gal, with a personality strong enough to handle herself around Barry (who LOVES to play) but sweet enough to grow into a lap dog!

We searched for 6 months, and came upon an add for "Cocoa" from People for Pets in Spencer. Well, growing up in Algona, I was very familiar with Spencer, and saw it as a sign. We applied, and waited anxiously. I still remember the day Donna called, we were painting our closet and when I got done talking, I ran downstairs yelling "We've got her! We've got her! This is the one!!!"

A couple days later I woke up at 6 am so I could pick up (soon-to-be) Leia before Donna had to work. She was an absolute dream in the car and had such a sweet face. I stopped in Algona for a couple hours so Leia could meet "grandma" and my mom just fell in love!

When I got home to Omaha, Brad and Barry met her, and though Barry was skeptical at first, after a couple hours of sniffing and rolling around on the floor....well, now, you won't find one without the other, they're constantly together.

You may be wondering, what's up with the name? Well, when Brad and I first saw Leia, the first image that came to mind was an Ewok....from Star Wars! She even growls like one...a little rumbling in her throat...its adorable! So, not wanting to name her Hans, or Chewy...Leia seemed appropriate.

Stories about Leia? To many to write...she fills our house full of love...and barking. :) One thing that was so funny was the fact that she was afraid of all our stairs in the house. The first time she wanted to go downstairs, she couldn't, so she stood at the top and barked. So Brad, Barry and I would go halfway down and coax her into stepping down...but she was so nervous she would pace back and forth, then bark, then pace...then a step! We cheered! About 20 minutes later, we got her down the stairs....and then we started working on up the stairs. *sigh*

But she has mastered all the stairs in the house, and can even jump on her kennel when she wants attention. She loves her little dress (for special occasions), was a champ at her first haircut, and always looks ridiculous during bath time. She thinks she's a big dog when playing with our 80-lb lab, and loves to fetch or play tug of war. She's very smart, learning commands like "wait" "sit" "lay" and "Leia come" but she knows she's a princess, so she only follows them when she's in a good mood! (you can tell she has a princess attitude...but that's Leia, and it's hilarious)!!

I guess that's all I have to say, except that I'm so thankful for People 4 Pets for giving us such a wonderful puppy. You can tell she was surrounded by love and affection the short time she was there, and everyone I met there were so infatuated with those animals, its hard to believe you'd get an animal with nothing on its mind but to love you, their new owner!

Erika and Brad Jensen- Omaha, Nebraska
The Chocolate Season

Abby (formerly She’s the One) has been a wonderful addition to my folks’ family. She joined our family right after Christmas 2006 and is loving, polite, completely devoted, and the best dog they have ever had. She doesn’t jump and she politely asks for whatever she wants. She immediately adopted Dad and follows him everywhere. She loves living on the farm. Dad takes her for rides in the car “around the section” just because she enjoys it. For a run, he takes her to the small cemetery by us which is surrounded by evergreens. She loves running around there and feels safe in the enclosed area. She will alert at night if she hears a sound outside. When assured it’s okay, she settles down and goes to sleep. Every time one of my parents calls, the first thing they talk about is the latest thing Abby did. She’s a great watch dog and a wonderful companion. Thank you, People of Pets, for letting her join our family.

Marlene Wexler