Introducing...Gertie!

How can I even begin to describe our day? First we got completely lost en route to the rescue "ranch," in a flyspeck village about an hour northeast of Outer Podunk; then, once we found it, we almost turned right around and headed home -- think Romanian orphanage with dogs instead of babies, and the music from Deliverance twanging in the background, and a batshit-crazy dog rescuer breaking into a rap anthology of Neil Young songs while having us fill out adoption papers.

But, anyhow -- meet Gertie, the newest member of our household. This is after we administered a triple-shampoo baptism to defunkify her and effect a regeneration into a transformed, house-dog life. Gertie was amazingly good-natured about the whole thing, snuggling into a pile of blankets afterward.

Gertie is, we think, part lab and part -- well, who knows. She's five months old, about beagle sized, and built as solid as a brick house.



Mollie briefly appeared to survey the new addition, then retreated to the middle bedroom. Cassie isn't at all sure that this is a very good idea, and is sulking behind a living room chair.