If you’ve seen our Instagram stories, you might already know we recently added a new member to the Petersik household. I wanted to properly introduce her here on the blog. Meet Penny.
After Burger, our chihuahua of 15 years, passed away in October, we were heartbroken. In the first days after his death we donated many of his supplies—treats, food, crate, and medication—to other dogs in need, while keeping a few keepsakes like his collar and blanket tucked away. The house felt unmoored without his clicking paws and jingling collar; every sunny spot seemed to remind us he was gone.
We wanted to bring another dog into our family but weren’t sure when we’d be ready. Many readers comforted us by saying “you’ll know when you know,” and that advice proved true. Gradually the raw sadness softened into warm memories—laughing about the things Burger would’ve eaten or the silly ways he made us smile.
In December we started casually browsing Petfinder and local rescue pages just to see what was out there. It felt like a fact-finding mission at first, then on New Year’s Day—about two and a half months after Burger passed—we saw Penny on a local rescue Facebook page and felt an immediate connection. We applied through the rescue, messaged the foster mom, drove to meet her, and were chosen as her adoptive family all in one day. It was an incredible way to begin the year.
This next photo is from the day we met her: she gently rested her head in our daughter’s cupped hands, and we all fell in love right then.
Penny’s previous owner had surrendered multiple dogs to the rescue because she felt they deserved better care, so Penny came into foster care along with several other dogs. She was about two and a half years old, had never had vaccinations or been to a vet, and was in heat when we rescued her. We spent the first days of the year getting her caught up on shots, scheduling spaying, and completing a full checkup. The vet gave her a clean bill of health and noted she was slightly underweight, which Sherry has been happily remedying with extra spoiling.
Penny is clearly a mutt. The rescue guessed Chihuahua and Yorkie—what some call a “Chorkie”—and we also detected hints of MinPin or Dachshund. We used an Embark breed identification kit, swabbing her cheek for a DNA sample (Penny didn’t mind at all; Burger probably would’ve revolted). A month later we received the results.
UPDATE: The Embark DNA results arrived about a month after the swab. They confirmed Chihuahua and Yorkie as her top matches, with a bit of Dachshund mixed in. Pekingese and Maltese showed up as unexpected contributors, and surprisingly there was no Min-Pin.
Our kids named her Penny, which felt like the perfect fit. She has copper-colored patches like a penny, including two round spots between her ears. The name also felt lucky—our little “lucky penny.”
We’ve landed on a bunch of nicknames: the family favorite is “Penny No Pants,” Sherry sometimes calls her “Penny Lane,” and I amuse myself by inventing playful elongated versions of Penny like Pendulum or Pensacola. Dads gotta dad.
Penny is a total snuggler. If anyone sits down, she’ll run over to curl up next to—or on top of—them. That floppy ear is an absolute favorite feature. She fits into our lives effortlessly.
She also loves the beach—kicking up sand behind her and getting very excited whenever a bird appears, even though the birds typically fly off before she can investigate closely.
Initially we thought we’d adopt a puppy, partly because we wanted more years together and because we’d raised Burger from a pup and felt confident doing it again. But puppies are in high demand, and older dogs often wait longer in shelters. Looking beyond the puppies led us to Penny, and we’re so glad we broadened our search—she’ll turn three this summer and we can’t wait to celebrate her first birthday with us.
We’ve had her for nearly a month now and it’s been a joy to watch her settle in and reveal more of her personality. She loves sun spots like Burger did, but she has her own quirks—impressive agility that lets her hop onto tables and over couch arms, and a relaxed way of lying with her back legs splayed behind her like she’s mid-stretch.
Our favorite thing is her sleepy smile when we cuddle her. We don’t know everything about her first two and a half years, but it’s clear she’s happy to be in a home with people who adore her.
In short: we’re beyond excited to have Penny in our family. She feels like she was hand-picked for us—thank you, Burger. You’ll likely see her popping up in future posts, either snoozing in a room photo or perched on furniture to get a better view of the outside world.
We hope you enjoy having Penny around these parts as much as we do.
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