FREDDIE the Golden Doodle Grand Dog

This is Freddie Pup, my daughter's six month old golden doodle. Because he's my daughters, that means he's my "grand dog." He's a pretty great guy. I've had several dogs in my life, and this guy is rapidly climbing to the top of the hit parade. I like that he frequently chills out. He's also a pretty good retriever, which is a good trait in a dog, I think.

This is me when I was 25 or 26 and living in Greenwich Village, New York. My dog, Daphne, was the greatest of all time. Being a Samoyed Huskey, she loved the snow. You may recall a photo of her and my in my Job Description post: bartender in Vermont. That's the same daughter who Freddie belongs to.

Finally, this is me and my wife, Julie, with my friend Ted the Brewing Painter's dog, Stella, in Sonoma County. When I first met Ted, in 2009, he'd just lost a rottweiler named Mugsy and couldn't stop crying. I was the same way with Daphne when we had to say goodbye. So, Ted and I bonded instantly.

A couple of years later, Julie and I went wilderness camping with Ted and his squeeze, Katherine, whom Julie has known since she was 5 years old. They grew up together in Key Biscayne, Florida, when it was wild -- and so were they. Anyway, during that camping trip Stella was about as old as Freddy Pup, and demonstrated that we belonged to her by peeing in our tent. Ah, memories.....