Zinnia is approaching her eighth-month of life, and I’m starting to see just what kind of dog she will be. She’s a Lab, of course, but there are all kinds of Labs, the breed has been so overbred it’s not always clear what a real Lab is like.

Zinnia is a real Lab, bred for temperament, bone structure, and health. She’s a good looking dog and a dog of sound temperament and healthy bones. Real Labs are bred to work with people, not to make them crazy. Zinnia loves to work, she does her therapy work with patience and enthusiasm. She senses that the work is serious, and she gets serious when she does it.

In some ways, Zinnia is just like other Labs. She has a nose for junk and garbage, and there is little she won’t eat. Everyone who sees her tells me she will be huge, but I don’t think so. This breeder doesn’t do huge. I think she’s pretty close to where she will end up, like her mother is.

Zinnia is playful and trainable. She loves Fate and Bud, the three of them live comfortably together, except for Fate’s occasional snarling when Zinnia gets too enthusiastic.

She is much calmer than many Labs that I know and is blessedly quiet in the farmhouse (except for chasing Bud around). She is very much my dog, although she loves Maria and is delighted to walk in the woods with her and Fate and go run around the pasture.

She and Bud are inseparable, they play for hours outside, and sometimes, in the house. Zinnia has fit into our lives well. She has never taken any food off a counter or a plate. She has never had an accident in the house except for her urinary infection.

And she has never chewed one single thing that is not hers. It helps a lot to work at home.

Zinnia is a car dog.

She is always happy to come outside and into the car when I go out for chores.  Like Red, she is very quiet in the car, I sometimes forget she is there. She is starting to love water, and today, on our walk in the woods, she discovered a pond and jumped right in.

She lays by my feet when I write and never disturbs me when I am working. She loves children and people is cautious around other dogs. She loves walking with me in the woods, she stays near me and stops and waits if I fall behind.

Her recall is excellent except when she finds something foul to smell. She still comes, but it might take a few seconds. Labs are wonderful family dogs, they can be trusted and at times like this, they offer a lot of laughs and a lot of love.

That’s a beautiful combination.

Zinnia is growing to be a happy, beautiful and trainable working dog. She’s on track to be a great dog for me, something else for me to love.