The other day my sister Kate was telling me about a recent conversation she had with JP and Lynette regarding our dogs.

It shouldn't come as a shock that the entire Shea clan is a little dog crazy. My Aunt Kathy has six, count them six dogs. At one point, many eons ago, we had four dogs in our house, along with two cats. There may have been a fish. I do not recall. If there was a fish, it was probably Devyn's, and it was probably won in a carnival and it probably died within a few days because for the most part that was what happened with those sorts of fish.

Anyway, we love dogs. Kate has the newly acquired Bella. My parents have Piper and Finn. Finn is Glinny's brother, and he is twice the size of her. Piper is almost ten years old, though aside from her white face, you'd never know it. Kate and I feel that Piper is the smartest dog we've ever had. This is a dog who fetches the paper, counts to three (Counts! To three!) and understands what you mean when you say "Talk softly" and then does so. Then there is, of course, Glinny.

Glinny and Finnbar are similar in almost every conceivable way, which isn't a shocker since they come from the same line. While perhaps not as industrious as Piper (though Finn fetches the paper now too), maybe because they have less to prove, they're smart, loyal, sweet dogs. Mostly, though, they are pretty. Very, very pretty dogs. Hand to God, people have stopped their cars as they drove down the street to ask about Glin and compliment me on her good looks, as though I had something to do with it.

So on a recent morning, as Bella, Piper and Finn played in my parents ginormous backyard, JP observed both Bella and Piper on point, a stance which neither Glin nor Finn take on any occasion. JP explained to Kate that both Piper and Bella come from a hunting line of goldens, so while Finnbar was off gallivanting, the other two were on the hunt.

"That's our Finn," Lynette reportedly said with a laugh. "He's here to look pretty! Glin and Finn with their foofy tails and pretty heads!"

Kate said JP wasn't as amused, but it's the truth.

This morning, as Bella and Glin decided that 5:30 a.m. was an acceptable time to play and frolic on a Friday, Kate and I decided that perhaps it might be a better idea if she and Bella hit the road and beat traffic as the two of them were never going to calm down. First, though, I insisted that they stay long enough to take advantage of some morning light and capture some pictures of Bella.

Glin sees me whip out the camera and literally assumes the position. Bella, however, would like it if she could just keep biting Glin's face.

Bella is still not convinced she's like to model this morning. Glin, however, asks if she has any of her breakfast stuck between her teeth, marring the picture.

Bella got bored and left. Glin wonders if her perhaps today we should get her a jaunty bandanna to wear on her birthday.

Bella licks the floor and continues to ignore my attempts to capture her sweet little face. Glin thinks her left side is her best side and feels the light streaming in from the window gives her a nice angelic effect.

Bella throws me a bone, Glin leaves the shot, and heads back to her trailer for a fresh powder on her nose.

Posted by Erin at 07:09 AM | filed under: Glin