You Are My Sunshine

When we finished obedience class the first time, the instructor gave each dog a little stuffed toy while the handlers filled out an evaluation form.

Silas got a stuffed sunshine. Sunshine hasn’t been his favorite toy, but with it’s perfect, chewable rays it has filled a certain niche in the toy chest. Probably because he was weaned too early, Silas chews on a blanket to put himself to sleep. (Preferably *the* blanket, which, thank goodness, started off large and sturdy and should have many years left in it.) If blanket isn’t available, he’ll settle for something else, with a strong preference for my husband’s pockets.

In times like these, we bring out the sunshine toy.

But Sunshine has been looking a little sad. After eight months or so, he is nearly bald, with only one lone ray left unchewed:

(Note that Sunshine still has a fully functional squeaker and all the stuffing. That’s how Silas rolls. Also, every one of those chewed-off bits was left neatly to the side.)

I was thrilled to spot a New Sunshine in the store, and you’d better believe I grabbed it up. Usually the first thing Silas does to a toy is to chew off the label, so we’ve had bad luck replacing things that he has loved to death.

I have to admit, seeing the pair of them makes me pretty happy.