This is Penny. Penny is short for Pennsylvania and probably a bit short for her weight as well. We adopted her with the help of the Tristate Weimaraner Rescue. She was rescued along with about 60 other Weim’s from a delinquent breeder in North Carolina – Penny was being used as a breeder dog and we were told that the conditions were absolutely deplorable. Most of the dogs were underfed and showed signs of abuse. When we first brought her home she was so fearful that she mostly just ran and hid from any noise or any sign of people. She’s certainly come along way to become a much loved part of our family. She enjoys cooking with Mom on Sunday, holding down the coldest spot on the hard woods in summer and eating anything and everything she possibly can fit into her mouth regardless of its nutritional value or status as an actual food source.

Popularity: 2%

According to research presented to the American Heart Association, spending just 12 minutes a day petting and playing with a dog has been shown to significantly reduce the activity and presence of stress hormones, sometimes by as much as 17%. I caught these folks reducing stress in the parking lot of Saint Andrew’s Church while walking home from breakfast.

Popularity: 1%