Max scrabbled to get behind the sofa but Anton was ruthless. He had to be, he told himself, as he tugged on Max's collar. The dog skidded forward, his back legs twisting under him. Anton slipped a hand under Max's flanks and pulled him up. Max yelped but stayed on his feet.

Mrs. Bushnell, across the hall, opened her door a crack. Anton caught a glimpse of her hair, the color of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Every day she looked out whenever they passed. Anton pictured her, hovering behind her...

Except for a mother and her twin boys, I was alone on the platform at Kipling. The kids were probably about three or four and had curls like apricot foam haloing their baseball caps. At first, I thought the woman had a bad cold. Her face looked blotchy. She leaned against the wall, staring at her feet. She had one of those knotty bodies that put you in mind of trailer camps and empty Budweiser cans full of bullet holes.

I was coming from a session with my therapist in which I hadn't...

The Bear’s Lair was deserted. Josh opened ten packets of sugar, splitting them between two cups of coffee. After that, he added several packets of Pream to each one. “This,” he said, handing her a stirring stick, “is how to drink bad coffee. Think of it as dessert. Or, if you’re me, lunch.”

She took a swallow. “Ugh.”

“I didn’t claim it made coffee taste good. Just sweet.”

“No, it was false advertising. You said it would be drinkable.”

Rubbing his mouth, he flashed his hazel green eyes at her, and...

But it is one of the dogs in My Life in Dog Years, available from Ingram Sparks, Amazon, or your local bookstore.

https://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Dog-Years-Melodramas/dp/B0DLFR2G8R/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

A lot of the dogs I've owned in my life were cross-breed, otherwise known as Heinz 57 dogs because of all the breeds one dog can represent. They were perfectly wonderful pets, but my interest in specific breeds began on a visit to Oregon to see friends who owned a giant poodle, Maxi. Later I learned almost all poodles are named Maxi. I wrote about her, noting she would've made a stereotypical hippie if only she'd had a prairie dress and a bong. She was an adorable reprobate. As someone who...

– Author unknown

• GOLDEN RETRIEVER: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?
• BORDER COLLIE: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.
• DACHSHUND: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp!
• ROTTWEILER: Make me.
• LAB: Oh, me, me!!!! Pleeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I?
• TIBETAN TERRIER: Let the Border Collie do it. You can feed me while...