D Is for . . .

Dogs dogs dogs dogs DOGS!!! The incredible fluffball of adorableness above is Nadia, a Samoyed. She was my childhood dog (there were several others before her: Baron and J.J., who I desperately wanted to name Violet). Nadia was a character--she loved to run around the house with the empty laundry basket in her mouth, flying over coffee tables and jumping on the couch with it. She would come into the room where I was practicing the oboe, get under my chair, and begin to howl at the top of her lungs. She loved to lick out mugs that had held Irish coffee. Nadia was always incredibly sweet and loving. Here she is as an adult--gorgeous!
This is Elektra.
B. and I got Elektra when she was 12 weeks old, a fat wrinkly bundle. Oh, that face! She was a chocolate Chinese Shar-pei. Such a smart dog--too smart for her own good in many ways: she got herself in trouble quite frequently. She had a paper fetish and ate, among many other things: money, toilet paper, bills, books, record covers. In one day, when she was still a puppy, she ingested 1) a sponge; 2) the plastic handle on a paring knife; 3) the tape part of a cassette tape. Sigh. No harm done, fortunately. Such a funny dog . . . sweet as could be to us and incredibly loyal and protective. Not a cuddly dog, to be sure, but oh how we loved her.

She grew into this handsome girl (oh, that face!).

And now, the famous Miss Tallulah Mae, star of Tallulah-Palooza Friday:

What can be said about her? She's an unbelievably snuggly, comical, smart, sweet girl. She loves all humans, enjoys the dregs of a latte, loves to go to the P-A-R-K with our friend W. There's a lot more to say, but I won't ...She's not perfect--but she's close! T-Mae, you make my heart sing!

I truly adore dogs and always have--all dogs, not just mine. I love big dogs, old dogs, yappy dogs, neighbors' dogs, dogs on the street. When we're on vacation and we see a dog, I practically run up and accost it, just to have some of that doggy love. Really, dogs DO rule!