I chase aloof dog, whistle, bring out the baby talk, crawl in dirt and grass. Dog finally gives me condescending glance. Rejoice! Meet Burton the Bostonian, a.k.a. Monkey Butt. His ears most often point in different directions, his arthritis miraculously disappears when you say “walk,” he can usually be found warming himself on his bed in front of the fireplace, or licking the last drops of ice cream from the dessert bowl, and in his old age he’s grown a gray beard and wise eyes. We found him as a pathetic little pup in a rainy Burger King parking lot. I took my holiday visit home as the perfect opportunity to photograph our camera-shy boy, and to adorn my jeans with some much-needed grass stains.