A little while ago a starving dog showed up at our farm. She was so sweet and loving and we adored her. After a few weeks of her coming and going, with no luck finding her previous owners, she’s now our joyful, delightful Dahlia. We have dahlias growing near where she first showed up. We call her Dolly for short 
Yesterday our son was given an amazing gift: a neopolitan mastiff puppy. Mastiffs are our favorite dogs, and we’ve never had a neo. Conrad named his puppy Axel, after a character in his favorite book, Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. Axel is sooo droopy; he’s like a melted puppy puddle 
Dahlia and Axel join doggy brother D’artagnan, big orange cat brother Ivan, kitten sister Jasmine, and giant tortoise Stella. 5 acres, 4 kids, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 1 tortoise… Quite a zoo!