Things I love the most about Stella-the-Bear

• For a dog, she's incredibly patient. When my alarm goes off in the morning, she nuzzles her nose up to my hand to let me know that she's there then she lays under my bed while I snooze 6 bazillion more times, until I'm ready to get up and feed her. I think this just shows how you grow together. When Stella was a puppy, if she heard me so much as breathe differently, she would cry and cry and cry. And when I get home from work now, she always let me get settled before she lets me know its her turn to go potty. I'm a spoiled mommy to have such a patient puppy.
• Her snuggles are the sweetest. She's always been a snuggle-dog, but as she gets older it gets better and better. She will actually share the couch with me, her elbows don't leave bruises quite as often anymore, and she knows just when I need her to just lay with me. She is actually just like a teddy bear in this way. If she laid still for any length of time or somehow managed to become a dog that doesn't shed, I might actually consider allowing her in bed with me.
• Her eyes are so warm. If she acts a fool (which happens occasionally) all she has to do is look at me and I let her off the hook.
• She has a bladder of steel. Sometimes I wonder how many pee spots I will find when she gets older and her muscles aren't as strong. She can literally hold her potty for 24 hours. Yes she's done this once, yes I'm a terrible pup-mom who fell asleep drunk and fully dressed without taking her out for a bedtime potty. On a regular basis though, she really does, without any issues hold it for 12 hours almost everyday. That's impressive and I wish I could sneak home and give her a mid-day potty break, but to be honest, on days that I do get to take her out more often, she just uses it as more playtime... No potty for her unless it's breakfast, a run, or bedtime.
• Mostly, I love that she is the most friendly dog in the world. She knows no strangers, she loves everyone she meets no matter who or what they are. She even currently thinks the empty bathtub is a place for her to play and that the vacuum wants to chase her around the apartment. She's the only dog I know who doesn't hate going to the vet even though she just gets tortured every time she goes.

I could learn a lot from her ways. There are so many more reasons why I picked the perfect puppy for me, but those are my favorite right now. I love her so much. I wish there were more places I could take her with me and keep her right by my side.