Article and photo by Kathy Fallert

The Three Stooges of Castle Pines – Sadie, Tebow and Otis create more antics, laughs and quite honestly, pure joy which have definitely helped our family stay upbeat and have provided much inspiration for this column.

I have three dogs. Over the past couple of months with our family spending lots of time at home, I would say I have the happiest three dogs on the planet. Pets aren’t used to their families being home all day, every day. This has given us the opportunity to really appreciate them for their uniqueness and their personalities.

My oldest dog is Sadie, an 11-year-old female black lab. She’s the least aggressive of the bunch, but does enjoy a good reason (or no reason) to bark. Sometimes she simply barks her fool head off. Whether it’s accidentally getting trapped in the powder room after sneaking in there for a drink from the toilet or being left outside a minute past the time she prefers, barking is her passion. If left to her own devices, she will use her vocal chords endlessly to get what she wants.

Next in line is Tebow, a 9-year-old male yellow lab. Yes, we are Broncos fans, and yes, you know which year we got him. Tebow is a world-class hoarder. He could probably have his own reality show about hoarding. There can never be too many toys, bones or balls in Tebow’s possession. I swear, one time he fit four tennis balls in his mouth at once. Tebow is the ultimate alpha male, weighing in at almost 100 pounds with a head like a horse. Tebow is also a glory seeker. When taking both labs to Chatfield dog park to swim, which they love to do beyond all reason, Tebow will let Sadie swim way out to get the ball. Just as she is about to make it back to the shore and is ready to bring the ball to us, Tebow swipes it from her so he can be the good dog to drop it at our feet.

Last but not least is Otis the pug. I’ve had dogs all of my life. I never thought I’d have a small dog, much less a pug. My 13-year-old son, Kyle, for some reason became obsessed with pugs several years ago. Maybe it was Doug the pug from the Dino Dan show he watched as a preschooler. Maybe it came from Doug the pug of social media fame. Whatever it was, Kyle was determined to get a pug. We finally caved-in last year, and now have a 1-year-old pug with the appropriate fame name of Otis. Otis weighs about 16 pounds. He’s small; he’s quick and he’s relentless. Sadie doesn’t challenge either of the males, but Otis has little fear when it comes to Tebow and will stop at nothing to taunt Tebow into a game of chase.

Whether it’s Otis going on a grooming rampage of licking and chewing the other dogs’ ears endlessly, licking their gums, licking that one inch square of fur that must in some pugly way necessitate 45 minutes of non-stop grooming, Otis is on the job. He will also take whatever toy Tebow has … eventually. Patience is a virtue and Otis has it in spades. He knows that if Tebow has a treasured bone or toy long enough, eventually he will drop it and take a nap or attend to an itch. Otis then swoops in as quick and spry as a rabid squirrel. While Tebow is the alpha male, I still think Otis is the boss. I’ve come to realize that my dogs are sort of like the Three Stooges; Tebow is Curly, Sadie is Larry, and Otis is Moe. Let’s just hope Moe doesn’t start poking us in the eyes.