Poppy and Me

Poppy and Me

Topic Author: Lauren Whitney

Posted: 4:07 AM Jul 1, 2009

Replies Posted: 26 comments

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After months in my Netflix queue, “Marley and Me” finally arrived in my mailbox. I was probably one of the only people in the country who hadn’t seen the movie. As a dog lover and owner, I had laughed and cried my way through the book years earlier. Both the book and now the movie really hit home.

I have a dog back home in Phoenix. Her name is Poppy and she is a crazy German Shepherd with a distinct personality. She likes to lick the ice cream bowl when you're done, loves carrots, and is extremely focused on eating ice that falls out of the icemaker. Poppy likes squeaky toys - squirrels being her favorite, hedgehogs a close second - though she doesn't share her toys very well. She barks and squeals at bunnies in the front yard and barks at the neighbor dog over the backyard fence. She also barks every night at 8:30 pm, which is her ‘ride’ time. (Full disclosure: my stepdad takes her for a spin around the neighborhood every evening at 8:30 because, as he says, “she wants to.” Poppy knows exactly when it's 8:30 and lets him know with a nudge and a yelp. Sorry it’s out, Ed.)

Poppy is kind of crazy. Not exactly Marley crazy, though she runs serious laps around the house whenever I come home, nearly knocking me over when she jumps to lick hello. This is followed by a few more laps, and no amount of yelling makes her stop. It’s always the same, every time I walk through the door. When Poppy is calm, she lays her head on my lap and we lounge on the sofa. Like me, she enjoys The Golden Girls and most sports. For as looney as she is, Poppy is a sweet dog and is every bit a member of our family. At Christmastime she gets presents and we get gifts from her as well. I’ve found that Poppy has very good taste, though I'm pretty sure my mom does the shopping for her. After all, she doesn’t have thumbs.

My current housing situation doesn't allow for pets, which was devastating for me when I first moved to town. Not knowing anyone, I wanted a puppy to keep me company. I've since made friends, but my yearning for a doggie hasn't gone away and I can't wait to have a one living with me again. Maybe Poppy will learn to share by then.

People often say that pets are just animals, but Poppy is more than that - she is family, with a tail and a long nose. I’m going to Phoenix soon and I can’t wait for my crazy dog to sprint around and jump into my arms.

At KKCO we are proud to partner with the Roice-Hurst Humane Society to help find good homes for local critters. If you have room in your home and heart for a pet, please contact Roice-Hurst at 970-434-7337. And if you’ve had your own Marley moment with your pet, please share it with us here.

KKCO firmly believes in freedom of speech for all and we are happy to provide this forum for the community to share opinions and facts. We ask that commenters keep it clean, keep it truthful, stay on topic and be responsible. Comments left here do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of KKCO 11News.

by Dave Location: Minnesota on Jul 8, 2011 at 07:56 AM

Poppy is amazing. She is so large, but so gentle! She definitely has her routines. One of my favorite things is watching her "relax" on her "couch spot." She steps Steps up onto it and collapses into a resting position. It brings a smile every time I see her do it. I definitely can see why you miss her!

by Maria Location: Phoenix on Aug 6, 2009 at 09:47 AM

OMG Lauren ... Lovin' pic of Poppy & her pal! We love Poppy ... she's been a joy & pleasure to watch grow up from lil pup! We love how Poppy knows exactly which cabinet her treats are ... how she's able to nudge door open to let you know it's time for her treat! She's definately great work out pal for cardio when walking her too ..!! Hope your able to get your very own puppy soon ... our Joey turned 4 in June ... couldn't imagine life without him! Do know Ali forewarned me in advance bout 'Marley & Me' ... surprised my tears didn't flood out Phx literally! lol!

by Suzanne Location: CO on Jul 11, 2009 at 08:16 AM

Hey, my dog is named Poppy too! She's a beagle and she's also crazy. We've had 4 beagles over the years and each one has been named after a flower - Daisy, Tulip, Daffy (for daffodil), and now Poppy.

by Julia Location: Grand Junction on Jul 9, 2009 at 10:15 PM

This isn't really a Marley kind of story (more like a Miss Tinkle story!) but my brother used to keep a snake in his room and once it got out and it took us days to find it - behind the dryer. It was warm there. Anyways, I slept at my grandparents house the whole time the snake was missing because I was so freaked out about it. I was glad when my brother went off to college because he took the snake with him.

by Corrine Location: GJ on Jul 9, 2009 at 08:53 AM

I like the new website. I was going to join KKCO Facebook, but you and Bernie are nowhere to be found there. Guess it's just for the evening news fans.

by Karen Location: Fruita on Jul 8, 2009 at 10:13 PM

Dog is my co-pilot.

by Emily on Jul 7, 2009 at 11:00 AM

Lauren, what kind of dog are you going to get when you can have one in your apartment? Another German Shepherd? How about one like the new "First Dog" Portuguese water dog? They're cute. I have a mutt and they have good temperments. Lot's of doggies need to be adopted. Have a great day!

by Amy Jo on Jul 6, 2009 at 03:16 PM

Just saw the picture - she doesn't look crazy at all!

by Cameron on Jul 6, 2009 at 06:54 AM

Our cat Miss Tinkle once got up in a lowered ceiling in our basement. I'm not sure how she did it. It was one of those old acoustical tile ceilings. Anyway, we could NOT get her to come out. We'd hear her running around and crying, but no amount of coaxing could get her out.. We popped out several tiles but we could not see her or figure out where she was. FOr a couple of weeks we had random tiles out of the ceiling and put bowls of water and food up there for her. Finally we tore out the whole ceiling and found her off in a corner behind some pipes. To this day I don't know why she wouldn't come out, her crying to me meant that she didn't want to be up there. The good thing was I got rid of that ugly dropped ceiling and got a new one. I had been bugging my husband about it for years, and it took Miss Tinkle to do it for me. I wonder if she can get lost in our old kitchen cabinets ...

by william Location: Glenwood springs on Jul 4, 2009 at 10:51 AM

Poppy sure sounds like a true member of the household. All pets are it seems

by Corrine Location: GJ on Jul 3, 2009 at 02:13 PM

She is so cute! Our pit bull would tear up that stuffed animal in a heartbeat.

by Lauren Whitney Location: KKCO on Jul 3, 2009 at 10:44 AM

The photo shows Poppy in a rare, serene moment with her stuffed German Shepherd, whom she loves very much. My mom found her napping this way and sent this picture to show Poppy, well, calm. At least for a few minutes.

by Anonymous Location: Colorado on Jul 2, 2009 at 08:24 PM

There once was a doggie named Poppy, Who jumped around and was hoppy, She barked like a tree, And was quite crazy, When she went for rides in the jalopy.

by Emily L. Location: GJ on Jul 2, 2009 at 12:33 PM

Potato, what a funny name for a dog, Helen!

by Karl on Jul 2, 2009 at 09:29 AM

Like Marley, my lab Bronco ate a huge section of drywall in our house when he was left alone during a storm. I was really mad at first and then I felt bad because Bronco was scared of the storm and was cowering in the corner. We learned to always check the weather reports before we left him for too long. He still doesn't like storms, but he hasn't eaten any walls in a long time. Just my cowboy boots.

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