Tessa has always been very protective of the people she loves, and she still is at the age of 20.

Although the terrier mix loves her mother dearly, her toy banana takes first place. Even though it is only made of padding and yellow cloth, Tessa feels a unique connection to it, and she wants everyone else to agree.

After a dog destroyed Tessa’s favorite toy five years ago, Tessa’s mother Shanna Loren purchased the banana. “I found it in a trash can at a pet store, but I knew it was the size of a toy she liked,” Loren said to The Dodo. “She took the banana as soon as I handed it to her.”

Tessa now proudly displays her bananas to visitors and demands them give her beloved toy proper respect.

Before she knocks it down, she wants people to acknowledge it, according to Loren. She places it in what she considers to be the greatest bed when she sets it down.

Don’t allow old age or hearing loss get in the way of a puppy’s objective; they are obstinate when it comes to bananas. Loren stated, “We told the visitors to say they saw her eating bananas so she could lie down. It’s amusing how our friends are hollering at Tessa, “I love your bananas!” now that she is deaf.

With Tessa, it’s never too late to cuddle up with your favorite stuffed animal.

Loren stated, “She never made it a ‘toy’.” It is both her only modest possession and her way of life.