My dog

My dog is a Labrador Retriever mix.  We were told when we picked her up that she had another undetermined breed apart of her.  We know she is not a full Labrador because she has a pink nose and pink around her eyes as apposed to usual black.  She is a yellow lab with white on her underside as well as a white tip to her tail and a white patch on her forehead.  Her weight is about seventy pounds which she carries well.  We named her Ellie for no other reason other than we liked the sound of the name.  About five years ago we stopped into the Fox Cities Humane Association just to look around.  We had been talking about getting a dog and this was the next step.  Walking into such a place without deciding on taking something home is almost impossible.  There was a litter of 4 that someone had dropped off and we decided to take one home.  She was on her best behavior the first two days but has been herself ever since.  It did not take long to train her to relieve herself outside as we take her outside about four times per day.  We have certain areas in the yard that are not mowed and these are the place we give her the command to go.  Ellie likes to chase tennis balls and we throw one to her so that she can get her exercise.  In the warm months, we take her to a pond nearby and throw the ball in the water which she swims for.  Getting her to do this was nature and required no training from us.  We try to bath her once a month, clip her nails once every two weeks, and brush her everyday.  I think we take care of the things we value and we definitely value our dog.  She sheds quite a bit so we have to sweep up her hair everyday.  Her ears can get really gunky and she shakes her head because of that.  We have tried a number of remedies but so far it comes back very quickly.  I buy dog food about once a month for her.  That is about her only cost at this point.  Although we have bought her a kennel which is out in the garage and we have bought her toys, collars, and a leash.  She likes to have the run of the house but we keep her out of our bedroom and out of the laundry room.  I would recommend a dog for a family.