Figure 1 – Fresh Pond puppy, Ellie. (c) DE Wolf 2015.

Recently, dear friend and loyal reader Jane posted a comment to one of my blogs which was to the effect, “enough with the birdies and the cats how about some dog pictures?” It is certainly the case that I have a preference for furry friends of the feline purrsuasion. Dogs are way too accommodating. Cats must be won over. A dog can usually be won over with a biscuit. This is not to say that I have anything against dogs.  the Fresh Pond Reserve is a dog’s paradise and there are so many of them on any given day.  I have, in fact, made it my business to befriend as many of them as possible. The City of Cambridge allows them to run off leash if they have a current City of Cambridge dog license, and you can walk up to three dogs at a time.  Fresh Pond even has a little beach for the dogs, not on the main reservoir but on axillary Little Fresh Pond. Anyway,

In addition to the dogs there are the dog walkers, and you get to know them as well. There is this nice young fellow, a professional dog-walker, named Max, who by serendipity has only white dogs as clientele.  Recently he expanded his business and can now be seen in the company of a precocious black dog named Luca.

The thing about dogs is if you once greet them they are your friend for life.

“Woof! – how you doing?”

“Woof! – don’t pet him, pet me.”

“Woof! – no I mean it, pet me!”

“Woof – how about a cold, soggy, nose, and a slobbering tongue?”

“Woof – haha, bet you have no idea where this nose has been.”

“Woof, – got any treats in that camera bag?”

“Woof – hey do I smell cat?”

“Woof, woof, woof.”

So anyway, Figure 1 is a woof for Jane.  Her name is Ellie.  Being a Cambridge dog, Ellie is kind of an intellectual.

“Woof – photograph me. I suggest in black and white.”

Woof, woof – maybe with a warm sepia tone, not over wrought.”

At least I’m pretty sure that she said over-wrought.