The near and dear and the dearly departed

Dogs, that is. My rabid blog readers (all one of you) requested a photo of Thor. Your wish is granted.

Thor is the "near and dear" in the title of this post. Thor has been a part of the family since before there was a family. Blake got Thor while at school in Cal Poly. Though he did not have too many fans in his ill-behaved puppy days, he has many now. Even the neighbors come over and ask to walk him! Thor is very good natured and, at age 11-ish(?), he's pretty laid back. He has been great with Brooke. He has been very gracious about sharing the spotlight with her. He only occasionally cracks and has to come insert himself into the pictures we are taking of her.

Tank is the "dearly departed" in the title. We adopted him sight unseen from Iowa after reading his "personal ad" on the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Rescue group web site. We had him for a brief year and a half before cancer claimed him. Tank was non-stop fun - he got the paper, kept the floor spotless, ate all the kleenex he could find, and shook your hand. He ate his food mid-air as it fell into his bowl. He brought the tennis ball back to you. (Thor displays none of these skills.) He kept Thor company. We do miss him, but I probably would have had a nervous breakdown by now trying to handle two dogs AND a baby.

I could go on, but that is enough dog chatter!