If you’ve read my tribute to Gibbs, you’ll know that I’ve loved and lost dogs before and it never gets any easier. Which might make you wonder why anyone would want to own a pet, the odds being that you’ll outlive them. But here we go again, another Golden Retriever, this one named Enzo Ferrari for the dog in The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Published in 2008, I read it in early 2015, shortly after losing our boy Copper to stomach cancer. The ending gave me such comfort and I’ve never forgotten it. In fact, that book, along with Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery, are pretty much the only books that have made every move that I’ve made. All this to say when we were trying to find a name, Enzo made the list (other contenders were Otis and River).

Enzo’s parents are Lyndy and Tyco from Golden Pride Kennels in Echo Bay (Northern Ontario). Born on November 21, 2025, the litter included 3 males and 6 females. So far, Enzo is doing pretty well with outdoor potty training and crate training though of course, we’re getting up twice in the night, and early in the morning. He does seem to enjoy coming to work with me — at least as long as he has his blanket — though I’ll admit my output has been somewhat reduced!

Over the next few months, I plan to share stories from all the dogs in my life so far. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about Sandy, Einstein, Ranger, Copper, Gibbs, and of course, Enzo. And now, I’m really going to try to write at least one full page in my work-in-progress!