Everyone, Meet STEEL!  He’s a mini golden doodle which is a poodle and golden retriever mix. (Shhh but don’t tell him… He isn’t the first dog we had in mind! ) We originally wanted a full size Lab but our condo doesn’t allow us to have a dog over 25 lbs. We are so excited to welcome our first Pannebaker Pup into the fam! Bow tie: Pink Tail Co

Our 5  favorite things about Steel:

1. His Name: We named him after Steel city, Pittsburgh. We chose this name because it represents strength and loyalty, which means a lot to me. I’m really proud of where I grew up and my family heritage. My grandpa worked in one of the Steel Mills for his entire life and my other grandpa was an orphan, became a Sargent in the army and worked three jobs while raising 3 children on his own after my grandmother passed away. (Most people are proud of to be from Pittsburgh for the same reasons!) Plus, Michael LOVES all Pittsburgh sports. (Thank goodness.) 😉 Go Steelers!

2. Personality: He was the breeder’s pick for a service dog. I told Michael that we needed to choose a puppy based off personality over appearance and we are SO glad we did! Steel is very responsive. Most of the time he can sense our mood so if we are calm, then he will be too.  My best advice to ANYONE getting a puppy is to crate train! It only took one day for him to become adjusted to sleeping downstairs in the crate at night, when I leave for a few hours or take a shower.

3. Hypoallergenic: While this doesn’t really matter much to me right now, I know it could be a concern for our future children or other family/friends that visit our home. My brother is allergic to animals and he spent most of his life being miserable because of our Lab and cat. Now he can enjoy Steel when he comes to visit from PA! Steel is also non-shedding which is a great because he’s already enough work as it is. 🙂

4. Not a Lap Dog: Although he doesn’t like to sit on your lap, he always wants to be in the same room with us or laying on our feet while we are cooking or while I’m working. I was devastated when we realized that he doesn’t like to sit on your lap. We are now thankful he loves laying at our feet so he can sleep well without being disturbed. I really enjoy relaxing on the couch in the evening and not having to worry about waking him up! But we love waking him up while he’s sleepy and holding him like a baby.

5. Easy to Train: He’s a very smart dog! Steel already knows how to play fetch, “sit”, give a handshake and he’s almost finished potty training! We are still working on “no bite” because he’s teething and he’s obsessed with eating leaves while we are on walks. 🙂