How Can You Resist?

Cape Cod Weather Today: Passing snow showers and grey skies, interspersed with periods of glorious sunshine. But it's cold out - only 29....

Meet Madison. She was a birthday gift from my husband a year and a half ago. Our 14 year old shepherd had just died earlier in the summer, and the black Lab and I were a little heartbroken.

But neither of us wanted a puppy.

Or so we thought.

Okay, so he was right and we were wrong. Montana (the Lab) and I have both grown to love this crazy puppy quite a lot in the year that she's been in our faces and at our heels, and slobbering us all with kisses. My dog walking friend says Madison is one of the dumbest dogs she's ever met, but also one of the sweetest. I'm not convinced she's quite that dumb... but she'll never win any medals for smarts. But oh, is she sweet.

She won me over with her sheer persistence. Always happy, great with the kids, always eager to walk or play or eat or cuddle... always eager period, I guess! And how can you resist that face, when she looks at you and seems to be asking "Walk? Walk Now? Time to go to the Beach??" In addition to the big eyes, she has a large vocabulary - growls and woo-woo-woos and elongated vowels that almost seem to be words. She definitely thinks she is talking to us just like we talk to her. My middle child actually encouraged this, deciding he would teach her how to say simple words like "food" and "walk" and "out"... so she still tries to talk to us. Whole sentences. Not quite Scooby Doo, but close.

And right now, she's saying "Walk? Walk Now? Now - ow- ow - ow..." so I'd better sign off and go. Need to listen when the dogs are talking.