It's A Dog's Life

Meet Annabelle.

She's a Boston Terrier. She somewhat resembles a bobble-head. As the photo might suggest, she's a bit larger than life. Always on the move, always in the center, ALWAYS in your face. Probably the most aggressively playful dog you'll ever meet. We love her dearly, but her life-long issues with intestinal distress have earned her the nick-name, SmellyBelly.

This is Oliver.

He's 8 pounds of pure man-dog. People at the dog park refer to him as the little general. He has claimed Danny as his human. He is the dog that finds hours of entertainment in a roll of toilette paper or one of my favorite magazines. Since he was neutered in June, he is no longer LORD OF ALL, but, his big sad eyes win him the affections of almost anyone he meets. His size is the inspiration for his nickname, Smalliver.

The Grand Dame: Gracie

Gracie was our first fur-baby. We brought her home, Christmas, 1999. She was such a playful puppy. Took us about 3 years to potty train her. "Make, Gracie, Make!" Now, she likes to sleep. Her favorite perch is on our striped ottoman in the family room. She rests there most of the day. I watch her and wish I could slow the clock a little. She's 10 years old this month. How many more years do we have together. I'll cherish every one. For no reason what-so-ever, her nickname is Gracie-Facie.

Living in a town home requires daily outings to the local dog park. We make quite a statement when we arrive on the scene. Annabelle usually bolts in, runs a few dogs over and freaks out a few unsuspecting citizens. Oliver mends the fences by winning over everyone's heart with his charms (and unsolicited mouth kisses). Gracie does her business and then slowly meanders over to a spot under one of the benches, or at some kind stranger's feet for a little love.

We follow this routine every day. Most of the regulars at the park have become familiar with our crew.
We often

remark how well we all know each other's dogs but none of us really know many of the human's names.

My kids join me from time to time. Noah loves to run all of the dogs around the park. He's always making new friends. Completely uninhibited. Sometimes Bailey ventures down for a while, but he prefers to keep his interactions to a minimum. Occasionally I can pry Kinsey away from her tweenage preoccupations long enough to come with me and see some sunlight. She's always glad she did.

I've always been more of a cat person. Never thought I'd have three dogs. They love me. They want to be with me all the time. They're at my feet when I cook dinner and clean up. They soak in the sun when I plant flowers on the balcony. They cry for me when I walk beyond their reach. The world could be against me, but not them.

I'll do my best to deserve it.