Ecstasy

Yesterday I should have spent the entire day at my desk, nose to the grindstone. But one of the pleasures of being self-employed is the ability to ignore the shoulds once in a while. And when the lure is an invitation to a puppy party in the exquisite backyard of Kathy Alameda, that's irresistible.

Kathy is raising Ella; in fact, she picked her up from the Oceanside facility on the very day I got Dionne. Ella has stayed with us once, for a couple of days, and we've been invited to play once before.  This time two other pups in training and an older dog also took part in the frolic.

The dogs were pretty much active nonstop, from as soon as we released them from their leashes to the moment 75 minutes later, when I collected Dionne to head back home. At first, for a long time, they zoomed around in a pack, going about 50 miles an hour. Not once did I hear any growling or barking.

Dionne refused to swim, despite the incredibly seductive pool, though she got wet enough just hanging out on the ledge with the rest of the crew. Still, she was ecstatic. It was pretty contagious.