You Can Catch Me, I'm the Gingerbread Man

Stella is a spoiled dog. Not only do I buy her a plethora of toys, but so do my friends and family. The fun part is that she plays with them on her own. I keep a basket overflowing of toys on the floor in my living room. When Stella was younger, each night she would go through the basket to play with her toys. She would pick out one toy, take it out of the basket, and play with it for approximately 2 minutes. Then she'd leave it on the floor, and go for another toy. And then another. And then another. You get the idea. I didn't have to do anything other than clean them up before bed.

Then, one day, I bought yet another toy for Stella. This time it was Gingerbread Man. At first I didn't notice anything different. Stella played with the toy and then played with others. But over the next few weeks, she began to play with it more and more. Soon her other toys were neglected.

It became a rare sight that I would see Stella without Gingerbread Man in tote. She'd play with him all night and then when it was time for bed, she carried it with her and used him as a pillow. No trip was complete without him. Her favorite game was to pick him up with her mouth, throw him as far as she could, and then pounce on him. She would hop and growl and run all over the place. She pounced with a huge jump and landed on top to maximize the volume of the squeak.

It's kind of embarrassing to have a dog who always plays with a Gingerbread Man. This has been going on for the past year and a half. It doesn't matter if it's the 4th of July, Easter or Halloween. She'll be playing with a Christmas toy. That's my dog.

Overall, I embrace the Gingerbread Man. My only huge dilemma occurred earlier this week. I was fast asleep when something landed directly on my face. In a hazy state of awareness, I opened my eyes in just enough time to recognize that it was Gingerbread Man. I had one horrifying second when I realized what was about to happen. There was no time to react, move the Gingerbread Man, or cover my face. Because after that one second had passed, Stella pounced. Full force. Hard. Stellllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Introducing the One and Only Stella Knut

Stella Knut is possibly the funniest dog you will ever encounter. Like any proud owner, I boast that she is the cutest dog that ever existed. My opinion that she is the cutest is really just an opinion. However, the fact that she is the funniest dog is absolute truth. She is terrified of other human beings (especially Ron) and most other dogs. When afraid, she hides behind me and literally pee's herself. I usually laugh when this occurs...until I realize that it's my responsibility to clean up the mess. To compensate for her fright, she often terrorizes smaller animals. Squirrels and lizards are her favorite victims to chase. Based on an experience with an empty soda can rolling down the street, I guarantee that if a lizard or squirrel turned around and chased Stella instead, I'd have to invest in a lot more paper towels.

She is 1/2 poodle, 1/2 cocker spaniel and 100% cockapoo. She is named in honor of Tennessee Williams' A Street Car Named Desire. I thought it would be hillarious (and it is) to yell "Stellaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" to a dog. Her middle name "Knut" comes from the popular, German polar bear. I still don't have the right pronunciation, so I change it depending on my mood. She is NOT a fru fru dog. I do not carry her in my purse and I do not dress her in clothes (unless it's cold or I want a good laugh). While pink is one of my favorite colors, it never shows up on Stella.

Despite her sometimes hilarious downfalls, she lives up to her marketing promise of being my best friend. She is full of love and playfulness, but is sometimes afraid to show it. She makes me laugh and reminds me of what is important in life. She is a lot like myself (though at 24 years old, I'd like to think I handle my fright in different ways).

Not motivated by food, incredibly spoiled, and often peed-on...I present to you Stella Knut.