Puppy Kisses

My wife S & I already have a couple geriatric pets, and we've talked a bit about what kind of pet we might like next. On account of S's cat allergy (which was diagnosed when we still had three cats) we thought a small dog would be nice. We seemed to have it narrowed down to a chihuahua or a Jack Russell terrier. Well, today S came home with this cute little thing. It was a stray hanging around S's school, and the resident animal rescuer thought this might be a good match for us. S wasn't sure how I'd react. Well, I fell in love. She barked a little when I came in through the door tonight. Then she ran up and greeted me, with her tail wagging and plenty of puppy kisses. She's a little skinny but seems pretty healthy otherwise, and quite well socialized with people, children (a.k.a small "people"), cats, and other dogs. She and Addie and Snoopy seem to get along okay. She looks like a mix between a chihuahua and a Jack Russell, perhaps as young as nine months but no older than two years - and seems mellower than a Jack Russell (thank God). She's very sweet (everyone at Petsmart seemed to think so). She didn't have a collar, and S's friend at school doesn't think anyone in the neighborhood will claim her (hard to believe). I told S to watch out for lost dog posters - and we'll give her up then. But in all likelihood, I think we have a new dog in the family.