We weren’t planning to get a puppy, but when my little brother saw a little black and gold ball of fur in a cardboard box outside Safeway, he begged my dad to buy it. My dad, always a softie, gave in rather quickly. We already had a dog—the opposite of this dog—a pedigreed miniature Schnauzer, but Dad knew that our existing dog was my dog. Our Schnauzer favored me over my brother. And besides, my brother had always wanted a big dog. Judging by the size of the mother, this puppy would get pretty large. He was a real Heinz 57. We were told he was a mix of black Lab, golden retriever, Rottweiler and maybe a few other breeds.

My mom was a little shocked when we came home with a new puppy, but she supported the plan. John, my brother, loved animals. And Mom certainly preferred this to more hamsters and bunnies. She was so afraid of the hamsters that they were relegated to the far side of the garage. Likewise, the messy bunnies were housed in cages under our deck. But she loved dogs, letting them sleep in our beds or tossing them popcorn while she watched TV. 

I had named our miniature Schnauzer Mary Poppins, after my favorite movie character, when I got her at age 6. My brother named his new puppy Laser, after the type of sailboat he sailed. Lasers were lightweight and quick. This little puppy was already fast and quickly becoming a retriever. 

Laser had the life most dogs dream about. We let him and Mary Poppins run around freely outside. We had no fences, living up on a hill far from busy roads. Pretty soon, though, as Laser turned into an adult dog, we realized he was going far beyond the edges of our property. He would come home wet, evidence he had been swimming in the bay, a few miles away. 

Then something even more surprising happened. Mary Poppins was up in years, slowing down a bit. But Laser blew new life into her. We began to get calls from local merchants downtown that they had caught a small grey dog (Mary Poppins) but couldn’t catch a bigger black dog that was hanging around. Would we come get the dogs please. 

Laser had another habit that cracked us up. On more than one occasion he carried a baguette all the way home and left it on our front stoop as a gift. We figured he had found the baguette in back of the Safeway lot where they threw away day-old bread. It was perfectly preserved except for some tooth marks where Laser had gripped the bread in his mouth.

All of us loved Laser and laughed at his antics. A true retriever, he would run after balls for hours and when he finally got tired, he’d hide under a bush so he wouldn’t have to admit he was pooped. 

My dad in particular had a soft spot for Laser. Dad had never been allowed to have a dog growing up so he was making up for lost time. Dad loved working in the garden, tossing the ball to Laser as he weeded. If no ball was available Laser would find a pinecone.

Laser was around for a lot of important events. On my first date with my eventual husband, we sat in the yard and threw the ball for Laser. Somehow throwing the ball and watching Laser’s sleek body bound up the hill settled our first-date nerves.

Coming home to Laser was the best. He’s the only dog I’ve ever seen that could actually smile. His floppy lips became taut and his teeth showed. His tail was going 90 miles a minute. 

Because the hill we lived on was so wild with vegetation, Laser brought home a few other things that weren’t as appealing as day-old bread. Once, on winter vacation from college, I suddenly developed a red rash all over my face. I tried not to itch it but it was hard. We decided I had gotten poison oak from burying my face into Laser’s fur to give him kisses and hugs. It was an uncomfortable few weeks. 

Laser got into other trouble with sweet things that weren’t for dogs. One day my aunt Dorothy came to visit and brought a 2-pound box of See’s candy. She left it in her room on the bed. Hours later while we were gone, Laser devoured every piece, leaving behind a pile of wrappings. We never saw him get sick but perhaps he threw up outside. Another time my mom spent hours in the kitchen making homemade butterhorn rolls for me to bring to school for my birthday. As Mom got ready to deliver the treats, somehow Laser nosed up to the counter and got ahold of the trays of fresh rolls. He ate all of them. 

Laser lived until he was 12. It was a sad day when we had to call our vet, Dr. Blood (really!), to come and put him down. My dad and brother buried him on the hillside where he had run to chase so many balls. Our Heinz 57 has a special place in our hearts. More than any other pet, he taught us about the special bond between dogs and people.