Barley, a dog, tromps around in some lush green ivy. Ivy is a common low-effort landscaping option in sufficiently damp climates, and Barley has a particular interest. I think she appreciates that you always know about how deep the ivy is, so she can trundle through it all-a-sniffin’ without there being a risk of her foot suddenly dropping into a hole or hitting a big patch of mud. You’d think it would be more trouble in terms of Barley finding something she shouldn’t be eating to snarfle up, but generally not! So I’m happy to let her scope a patch out so long as she doesn’t drag me out into it with her.

Juniper, a dog, is curled up on a lap. She is very small, and extremely puppy. Juniper is a rescue, but unlike most rescues, she was born in the shelter. As such, she was as fresh-faced and puppy as they come when she was rescued. She and her ten litter-mates were bumbling around an enclosure when we met her, as part of a larger adoption event involving dozens of dogs. Even then, she was different. In that chaotic scene of puppies playing, most of her siblings were keenly interested in all the other dogs that were around, so much so that they’d barely look at you. Juniper, instead, was interested in the people. “Who are you?” she seemed to ask with huge, piercing eyes. It quickly became a mutual fascination.

Barley, a dog, sits uncharacteristically, with her legs beneath her, while enthusiastically chewing on a toy that is just out of sight. As noted earlier, Barley does not generally sit with her legs beneath her body, and when she does, it’s not a relaxed, low-energy affair. We here see one such case: Dinner with my parents. While we are eating dinner, she stakes of her station next to the dinner table and spends maybe the first 15 minutes or so champin’ and chompin’ on one of her robust rubber toys, doing so with all the potential energy of a wound spring. Even here, however, she can’t quite sphinx her legs up beneath her, resulting in a look that undercuts her gravitas somewhat.

Barley, a dog, extends her prodigious tongue skyward on a bright day with clear blue skies. Most dogs, in my experience, lack decorum. Even if they’re pretty reserved, they’re generally pretty easy to read. So I’m under no illusion that Barley is especially expressive. But boy howdy, is she uninhibited compared to nearly all humans in my day to day life. She’s just taking a big bite out life, every day, and yes a second helping would be lovely thank you. No need to hold back, there’s unlimited world out there. The sky’s the limit.

Barley, a dog, is only visible form the waist down as she lies on the floor in one of her characteristic sploots. When lying down, Barley almost exclusively adopts one of two poses: She turns her hips at a jaunty angle, or she Supermans her feet straight back in a dramatic spoot. She will occasionally crouch on all fours with her hind legs beneath her like The Sphinx, but only when she is amped up and ready to spring back to her feet at a moment’s notice. I think this is because her hips fundamentally don’t have all that much flexibility, owing no doubt to all that beef she keeps in back.

Barley, a dog, sits on a couch while wearing a novelty “tie plus shirt collar” accessory, giving her a very business-like demeanor. I’ve not played around with dressing Barley up very often, and I probably should indulge a bit more because she’s a pretty good sport about it. So long as the costume consists of either something unobtrusive at the neck, or some sort of vest, we’re good to go. Hats, not so much. She’s not a hat girl.

Barley, a dog, sniffs her way along an artificial indentation in the muddy earth. A few years ago, some landscapers overhauled this patch of grounds, digging a shallow pit (visible in the lower left of the frame as brackish water), ringing that pit with young plants, and then, at a slightly wider radius, planting another ring of shrubs. I presume the idea was to give these plants room to grow, and this spot looks natural enough at a distance, but up close you can still see what looks like a path between those two earthen embankments. That hint of artificiality has always reminded me of a Mario Kart track; it’s certainly a turn Barley could drift through, given the chance.

Barley, a dog, sports a fishy accessory on her brand new harness. Recently, I was tasked with organizing an day trip for a work retreat, necessitating an all-day dog-sitter. One of Barley’s big fans was kind enough to look after her, and when I got back to the office at the end of a long and tiring day of helping others relax, I was delighted to discover this adorable fish. My dog-sitter, it seems, had brought Barley to a study group, and the resulting consensus was that Barley was to be inducted into the Biology Club as an honorary member. Certainly, she’s done enough field work to earn it by now.

Juniper, a dog, peers at the viewer through a gauzy curtain. Since becoming the undisputed queen of Big Couch, Juniper’s perch has become indispensable to her role as a lookout. She can often be found, holding vigil, between the sheer curtain and the window itself. Consistent with her reputation as a meticulous pup, she has been very good at slipping around the curtain, never stepping on it in a way that would pull it down. Contrastingly, chances are good that Barley would have torn the curtain rod mount out of the wall by now.

Barley, a dog, pauses an indoor wiggle session in anticipation of possible belly rubs. I hope my last post didn’t make all you wiggle hopefuls out there nervous. As promised, wiggling continues, but strictly as an indoor activity. One of the big perks for Barley is that indoor wiggles often translate into belly rubs, which reduce her to an almost feline semi-liquid state. I suspect this is due to two complementary effects. On the one hand, the belly rubs themselves seem to be very pleasing. On the other, the gentle pressure on her back is almost certainly an independent source of relaxation. In effect, receiving belly rubs allows Barley to briefly wear the futon as a thunder shirt and really luxuriate in full-body snuggle vibes.