Welcoming committee

Here are Bird's dogs: Puppy (or Poppy) the cocker spaniel at the bottom left; Blanca, to her right; Chewie, above Blanca, and Amiga, at the top. Bird and Smokey found Blanca and Amiga on a beach in Mexico and adopted them a few years ago. Chewie came next. He wandered into their yard as a puppy with a gash running along his spine from one end to the other. He still has a scar all the way down the center of his back. Bird has always wanted a smaller dog, so when Puppy turned up at the Vet clinic where she volunteers she brought her home as a "foster care dog." But she ended up staying. Usually the dogs are not allowed in the new house, but Puppy has found a way to squeeze through the fence, so she will turn up underfoot now and then. Chewie will watch for a while and then find a place where he can maneuver through and Blanco and Amiga will not be far behind. When they all come racing through the house it reminds me of the scene from "A Christmas Story" where the Bumpus Hounds come running through the kitchen and grab the roast turkey!