Time has flown by with Ming. She is my first small dog, and she is more wonderful than I could have imagined. We have had all sizes of dogs in our immediate and extended families, and each one is so individual in their personalities, likes and dislikes. My daughter had a teacher once who told the class “dogs do not have emotions”. I don’t know the basis of her statement, but she couldn’t be more wrong.

Some of the emotions and feelings of dogs I know are , Lucy a black lab, who is afraid of thunderstorms, she also smiles and talks at her favorite people. Leila, a golden retriever, who gets upset when left alone and gives the cold shoulder upon her owner’s return, and Lily, the black pug at the left. Ming’s sister. Lily is jealous in this photo because Ming is getting extra attention on her birthday. Lily gets to share the strawberries and dog presents too, but she can’t help being jealous a lot, which also makes her bossy of Ming. Ming tolerates Lily’s jealousy most of the time, because she loves Lily and is also confident in her place in the family. Lily was five months old when she became part of our family and had lacked attention the first five months, spending most of her time in a cage. She is a lovely, tail wagging girl who presses her body against you because she craves physical contact.

Here is Ming when she was a bitty baby pug that fit in the palm of my hand. She was a Christmas gift from my husband. He came into the house with her tucked into his coat two days before Christmas, and said, “reach inside my coat for a surprise”. She was a fluffy warm ball of fur.

Happy Birthday Ming, Ming. You have brought me three years of joy, extra love, cuddles and laughter!