If Teddy could write his own biography, it would probably begin with: "Mama adopted me, and everything improved immediately."

Teddy is a lovable, curious, slightly opinionated beagle who became part of our family in 2025, when he was five years old. We met him at an adoption event with the Troy Animal Rescue Project (TARP). While other dogs might have been concentrating on making a good first impression, Teddy was busy jumping up trying to get someone's French fries.

Naturally, we fell in love with him.

Teddy was originally adopted to be a companion for Poppa, and make no mistake, he still loves his Poppa. In fact, Poppa's lap is Teddy's absolute favorite sleeping spot. If Poppa sits down, Teddy considers that an open invitation to climb aboard, curl up, and settle in like he owns the place.

But somewhere along the way, Teddy also decided that Mama needed full-time supervision. He has been devoted to her ever since, serving as her unofficial support animal, personal escort, bathroom-door security guard, snack inspector, and Chief Officer of Where Do You Think You're Going?

Then there's Bot, who is very much part of Teddy's world, and the Boys, Clayton and Christian, who help make life around Teddy anything but boring. Teddy loves having his family together, and he is happiest when everyone is close.

His enthusiasm doesn't stop with family, either.

Teddy does not meet strangers.

When someone walks through the door, Teddy doesn't simply welcome them, he demands to be acknowledged. Visitors are expected to stop what they're doing, admire him, pet him, and properly recognize that they have entered Teddy's house. As far as Teddy is concerned, every guest has come specifically to see him, and it would be terribly rude not to give him the attention he deserves.

Although pieces of what would eventually become Teddy & Friends were already taking shape before Teddy joined our family, his personality helped bring something special to it. His expressions, adventures, curiosity, stubbornness, affection, and very strong opinions about how the household should operate made him the perfect little ambassador for a world built around friendship, imagination, kindness, and adventure.

Today, Teddy welcomes readers into a growing family of stories featuring friends from Blackberry Hollow, Cypress Bayou, Big Branch, Coral Cove, and beyond. Sometimes the adventures are inspired by imagination, sometimes by real life, and with Teddy around, the difference between the two can get pretty small.

At home, Teddy is exactly who he has always been: a beagle who loves his whole family, thinks Mama belongs within eyesight at all times, believes Poppa's lap was specifically designed as his personal sleeping spot, enjoys being right in the middle of whatever Bot and the Boys are doing, and considers every visitor a new friend who has arrived specifically to see him.

Favorite things: Mama, sleeping in Poppa's lap, Bot, the Boys, French fries, vanilla ice cream, car rides, naps, visitors, being the center of attention, and investigating absolutely everything that is none of his business.

Official Teddy & Friends job: Chief Story Dog, Family Supervisor, and Friend to Everybody.

Teddy came to our family through the Troy Animal Rescue Project (TARP), an organization helping animals find safe and loving homes. You can learn more about their work at troyanimalrescueproject.org.