The other night I was walking Bonnie, who found a tiny bit of what was once a stick, but now was just a couple inches of a barely-there twig. But she totally digs the twigs. And I can see why – there you are doing your business and sniffing around, and oh my god – a STICK! Time for fetch! I threw it a few times, but we eventually lost it. It was nighttime after all. So then she looks up and sees a tree we see every day, which on every other day has just been a tree. Today, however, it is full of STICKS! She starts jumping up, standing on her hind legs (one day if she’s not careful I’m selling her to the circus), and going crazy for all the sticks that she can see, but not reach. So I find another little bit of a stick on the ground and toss it again. The next day it was just a tree.

Being the daughter of a photographer, I empathize with Bonnie, who is the sometimes unwilling subject of many a photo, and who is often caught on camera while in indecent positions or doing her business. I’m a shameless dog owner, but at least she doesn’t have to worry about me showing potty pictures to future boyfriends. But I had to show off her super cute new jacket from Old Navy that was such a steal – $6!!! Now we’re ready for a Bishop climbing trip. And maybe I can get a decent night’s sleep while camping by not having to share my already narrow sleeping bag with a shivering dog. Not that I don’t love the company, but when it’s 5 degrees outside, I’m not so forgiving.

When I decided to get a dog, I knew exactly what I wanted – a black German Shephard/Labrador mix. But then I saw Bonnie, the neurotic one-eyed heeler mix who was afraid of everything – people, strollers, cars, loud noises, stairs, doors. I fell in love. The playful pup had been passed up by many visitors simply because she was missing an eye. “I don’t care if she’s missing an eye,” I said. Of course I had nightmares about her losing the other eye as soon as the words came out of my mouth. But my fears subsided and she rehabilitated quickly, grew to like people, and is now a gymnast, a snow hound, a runner and a cuddler who loves spending as much time outdoors as possible. She’s perfect.