Summer's Place is named after our much beloved pooch, companion, friend, buddy and love.

We got Summer when she was only 6 months old. What a bundle of energy and gentleness she was!

Summer was not used to having a large yard to run around in and that is the first thing we introduced her to. We pulled our van into the back yard, closed the gate and opened the door of the van. Instead of a postage stamp size of grass, Summer had one quarter of an acre to now call home. What a joy it was to watch her run and play as she became accustomed to her new home! We even bought a very bright ball we could see after dusk because Summer loved to play ball!

Many a trip we made up to Corning and her second home. Here Summer could play with companion dogs - also Lab's. But better yet, Summer had her run of 20 acres to snif, pee, explore and be a dog. She made her self at home in our RV and immediately awakened from a deep sleep when we got off the freeway at either end.

To say Summer was a 'smart' dog is an understatement. She learned commands almost the first go round! Not only did she listen but she saw with those beautiful brown eyes of hers. She loved to cuddle but also wanted her 'me' time whether stretching out on the tile at the front door in the summer, finding a patch of sunlight in the winter - she loved her jacket which kept her warm and dry!!

Summer had some health problems over the years. Some were minor and some of great concern. She developed a serious collection of lypomas which required surgery for removal. She had problems with her stomach almost from the time she came to us as well as an issue with her throat. But she knew WE would take care of her which we did to the best we could.

Summer and 'Dad' were pals. Summer preferred going for a ride or just hanging out with Dad. She much preferred it when we were ALL together but those two were always near. When I retired, Summer split her time between us but she and Dad were buds. Sadly, Summer had developed some kind of mass in her stomach. For a few months we did what we could for her but damn it - the mass won and at 15 years of age we tearfully said good bye. To say we were devastated is an understatement. 4 years later, we still miss our special girl. (My previous version of Summer's Place had a different photo of Summer on each web page in the site. That's how special she was to us!)