Partners

Many years ago on the national mall in DC, my boyfriend of the time and I noticed an out-of-town tourist family - father, mother, son, daughter - approaching a policeman who held a business-like looking German Shepherd on a leash.  The father greeted the cop, who answered amiably, and the son - a boy of maybe six or seven - tossed a cookie at the dog's feet.  The dog glanced at the treat, but then simply sat still.

The father chided the boy, "They're trained not to take anything from strangers," then looked at the cop "Right?"

"That's right," the cop said, and then went on to explain a bit more about all the discipline required of successful police dogs.

"Wow," the boy said, truly impressed.  The family went on its way, still discussing the excellence of the dog's training.  As they passed out of earshot, the cop looked down, caught the dog's eye, and said quietly, "Thanks!"

Cuervo

This teeny dog-like object will be sharing our lives for the next year. To his credit, he doesn't know that he's a Chihuahua and therefor should yap and snap and tremble. He just knows that he is a dog, and so he does what all the dogs do, only at 1/10 scale. Welcome, Cuervo.