Happy Back Yard Dogs On A Summer Afternoon

It was just a quiet summer afternoon with no trips or hikes planned. I let my six dogs out into the back yard as I do routinely, but this time followed them out with my camera. When the four younger dogs collected near the roses and Yucca plant, I got my first photo. The giant Poodle is Seamus, the white Cockapoo is Fergus and the two Papillons are Daphne and Clover. These are my four hiking pals:

Crabby, curmudgeonly little old Winky is an aging Pekingese rescued from the Shelter when I volunteered there. He was so snappy that no one wanted him and the Shelter feared to place him. But a kindly Shelter employee threatened to quit if they put him to sleep, promising that "Bill will take him." I did, albeit reluctantly, and Winky has been part of my family ever since:

Wally was similarly doomed at the Shelter for being snappy. But in Wally's case, he was immediately transformed into a wonderful, mild mannered perfectly behaved dog the minute he arrived in my home. The vet claims he's one of the best behaved dogs he's handled. So I fell in love with Wally and he became part of my family:

Seamus was still sporting his first professional haircut, so I posed him by the flowers so that I could get a picture of his handsomeness:

Wally watched me intently as I moved about the back yard. When I decided to go back inside the house, all six of the dogs came in with me. It seems to me that dogs always are expecting life to present them with the next happy adventure. When it doesn't happen, they are also happy to take a nap. What role models they are for how to live a happy life!: