For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted a dog.

There’s something about the loyal companionship and dependency — between both human and pooch — that has always called to me.

And it’s funny because life didn’t start out with a great first impression.

I was just a couple of years old when my grandma’s mutt, Sugar, got excited and jumped on me, knocking me over.

Sometime later, Grandma got Kelly, a beautiful and gentle German shepherd who howled when anyone left.

She also sat at my dad’s feet when he would visit, and, if you know my dad, that’s hilarious because he isn’t always fond of dogs. Kelly was easily lovable, though.

My aunt had Beeker, the Lhasa apso, who got mean with age. Over the years, she also had Dobermans Eddie (named after the terrier in “Frasier”), Dakmar (DOC-mar) and sweet Tia.

Adding a name to the mix, Dad once brought home a basset hound with the longest ears. He howled all night long.

We had him for about 24 hours, but my brother was so allergic to him that he had to go to another loving family.

That was the one time Dad caved and would have been OK with a family dog.

Thanks, Jason.

Mom now has the sweetest fluff, a poodle named Jenny.

Then my fella has two angels — Baby Syd and Lex — so in a way with all of these dogs, I do have that camaraderie.

In my days in Montana, a pack of dogs was dumped on a mountainside in the winter. They were mutts and they somehow survived a grueling snowy season in the higher elevation and semirugged terrain.

Naturally, I did a story on them in the early spring and they were the nicest puppies you’d imagine. Then I met her.

She looked like a schnauzer with wiry, salt-and-pepper Jack Russell terrier fur. Stoically sitting, this sweet baby watched everything with the vibe of a saint. I asked her name, and of course it was Patience.

I rented an apartment in Montana, but I’ll tell you that until my dying day, it’s my biggest regret not asking the landlord for forgiveness and just rescuing her. I did sleuthing after I came back to Ohio, and Patience found her home with an older woman who took her on adventures.

Talk about love at first sight — something I’ve only experienced one other time.

Getting back to my circle of dogs, Jenny is picky about her food, while Baby Syd and Lex will eat things when you aren’t looking.

Lex likes Tupperware and dandelions, but if you forget something on a glass plate on the table and walk away, it’ll be gone with the plate miraculously intact.

Jenny, Baby Syd and Lex don’t like a lot of vegetables, but they all love peanut butter.

Too bad since I still can’t really stand it, but not everyone can be perfect, right?

Treat the furbaby in your life with these easy biscuits from AllRecipes.com, and give them a hug for me.

Dog Snacks

Ingredients

2.5 cups whole wheat flour

2 large eggs

½ cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons peanut butter

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon water (may need a little more)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a spatula, mix flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.

Next, use your hands and work with the mixture, and if you need more water, add it a teaspoon at a time. The dough shouldn’t be dry and stiff, but easier to work with.

Use a rolling pin and roll the dough to a 1/2 -inch thickness.

Use a cookie cutter and transfer onto a baking sheet.

Bake for about 40 minutes.

Completely cool before sharing with your dog.

Share your favorite recipes and memories with Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.