On August 4, 2012, we made our way to the Animal Care and Control Team in Philly to meet a pup named Peanut. My husband had seen her picture online and fell in love and although he wanted an older dog, that 8-month old tennis ball chasing fawn colored puppy would come home with us the following day.

We were both amused by how kindly she played fetch with the tennis balls in the shelter yard. Despite being so young, she would drop her sopping wet balls right in my lap and sit down patiently until I threw it. When she came home and was comfortable, giving back the ball wasn’t so easy. We quickly learned to have a second ball to use as a bribe to drop the first.

She would chase anything endlessly, but a fuzzy green tennis ball was always superior. She got herself into trouble by beating other dogs at the dog park to their own ball because she was too fast for her own good. We couldn’t help but play games with her. She tried her best to wait patiently for us to throw the ball, but her paws tapped with anticipation as she whined. And once she heard us say, “ready,” she quieted herself and focused like you couldn’t imagine.

There was one thing that Thursday loved more than tennis balls: people. She was happy to go anywhere and meet anyone. The vet’s office was her favorite place because she got extra pets and attention, the poking and prodding didn’t even matter. Everywhere she went, people knew her. And that’s exactly how she liked it.

Everyone who met her will remember her goofy eyebrows, big smile, nonstop kisses, and never ending love.