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These two sweepeas are the stars of THE DOGGIE DIARIES, the story of two dogs as their dog parents try to be a dog’s best friend.
In the foreground is our wonderful cavapoo Mr. D—and no, the "D" in his name does not stand for a blessed thing. He is a beautiful seven-year-old boy known around our town as "The Mayor," because he wants every vote. On his travels Mr. D goes up to everyone he sees and plops himself down waiting for the inevitable adoration. Sometimes he lies between people on their beach towels and they find him hilarious: he brings more pure joy to the world than any dog I've ever known.
Mr. D can be a bit grumpy and growly when you try to move him, but he has been a wonderful friend and protector to Ms. Dolly Llama, the little white Maltese-Yorkie rescue dog nestled behind him on the bed in this picture. We often find Dolly behind Mr. D in this way, looking to him for protection on the couch, in the kitchen, and even in our bedroom when they sleep together.
No one but my wife can pick up Ms. Dolly because no one touched her for two years in the puppy mill prison in South Carolina where she grew up. No wonder she is so terrified of the world. But Ms. Dolly lets me hold her now after my wife hands her over. She is gentle and sweet and finding more and more peace every day, particularly when she and Mr. D walk with us in the Historical Society field behind our house. Then she bounces around and sprints and nips at Mr. D like she is the happiest girl in the world.
Like every rescue dog owner, we wonder whether we have saved Ms. Dolly Llama—or she is saving us.
Or maybe both.
Without Mr. D and Ms. Dolly—without all the dogs in the world—our lives would be unimaginable. With them, we come alive in a way that has to be magic.