Clover

Shortly after Easter of 2020, the McCoy’s gained a new family member. After years of persistent asking and PowerPoint presentations during quarantine made by the children, the family drove to Iowa to pick up their puppy. Now, 18 months later, Clover, the mini golden doodle, has become an essential part of the McCoy family.

“He definitely has his routine,” the McCoy’s oldest child, 15-year-old Ethan McCoy said. “My dad works from home and everyone in the family spends a lot of time with him so he’s a happy dog.”

Everyone in the McCoy family has their own special role with Clover. From going on walks, playing outside or just sitting together on the couch, all of the McCoy’s have found ways to spend time with him. The youngest child, 13-year-old Ellie McCoy takes Clover for walks after school. In his free time, Ethan enjoys throwing toys to Clover in the backyard. 

“Clover has his own personality,” Ethan said. “He makes daily life more interesting. He’s crazy, but also really sweet.”

Despite being energetic and entertaining, Clover has also become a sort of support dog for the family. When deciding Clover’s name, Ethan and Ellie’s grandmother came to mind. 

After she passed, Clover was always around to show unconditional love to the family. 

“My mom always found four-leaf clovers and when she was sick, that’s when we got Clover,” Jamie McCoy, Ethan and Ellie’s mother said. “The name Clover reminded us of her.”

The McCoy’s all have their own methods of taking care of Clover, the same way that he took care of them. While Clover was still new to the family, he ate a hot glue stick. This caused the McCoy’s to experience a common challenge that pet owners face, like unexpected vet trips, paying vet bills and other financial complications. Now the McCoy’s have gates up around the house, in hopes to prevent Clover from getting into something harmful again. The family also makes sure to clean up after themselves to keep Clover safe. 

Pets can be time consuming and expensive, but the enjoyment that pets provide makes the money and time all worthwhile for most. 

“All of the work is definitely worth it and he’s become part of our family,” Jamie said.