Squirrel-Chaser and Bone-Eater

Steve Quinn is six years old. He’s our third family dog. We found him chilling out at the Cape Ann Animal shelter. Unlike the rest of the orphaned dogs, he was completely relaxed and slumped over a small trampoline as if utterly confident someone would notice how cool he is. The rest of his litter was gone but he looked happy. Georgia is his home state, and while he looks like a Lab, he’s probably more Coonhound than anything given his penchant for tracking city squirrels like it’s his job. He joined our pure-bred, food-obsessed 10 year-old chocolate Lab KoKo (RIP), and breathed a few more years of life into her. This boy dog is almost human and we all adore him. Over the years he’s acted as companion, nurse, therapist, nanny, protector, cast-iron pan cleaner and champion bone eater. About once a month he gets a foot long raw hide bone. After being handed it, he struts up and down the living room carpet—as if on a runway of a fashion show—preening and prancing with pride. For everyone who enters the house during that time, he finds his bone and walks the walk, head held high. It takes about a week to fully decimate it. Even when chomping on the last little knob, he’ll do the strut for you. It’s the small things that makes Steve happy.