This is Pennie, a petite golden doodle and quintessential companion dog, greeting her humans with big smiles (which also cause her to sneeze) and insane squeals of pleasure. She loves belly and head rubs, treating her humans as her personal loungers, and running low, fast and free outside like a copper-colored cross between a cheetah and a rabbit. Sometimes she plays king-of-the-hill — or, more accurately, queen-of-the-bed — where she’ll stake ownership of her human’s bed, and ‘attack’ those bold enough to try to get on at the same time. Although she likes to play-fight, she will always stop with the command, “Gentle.” Pennie has the perfect temperament for her family of inexperienced dog owners, who now understand firsthand how pets become members of the family.

Christine, Tim, Kaitlin and Evan Kluge

East Lyme

My Pet Pal is a reader-submitted feature that highlights local residents and their favorite furry, feathery or scaly friends. Send a photo of you and your pet, along with a short description of what makes them a great companion, your name and what town you live in to times@theday.com. Include “pet pal” in the subject line.