The new dog

We'd always heard two border collies are better than one. First, these dogs are very smart. Secondly, they have more energy than a nuclear power plant.

We'd been thinking about getting a second dog because our ball-throwing arms are now visibly larger than our non-ball-throwing arms.

My husband, Lindsey, came home from the vet's office one night and told me about a sweet little tri-color collie pup who'd been boarded and abandoned there.

A couple of days later, it was a kinda slow Friday afternoon at the office. I kept thinking about this puppy. So I went to meet her.

When I went in, Lois -- who runs the vet's office -- knew why I was there. Within minutes, this little wiggle-tailed puppy was licking my face and peeing on my lap.

Of course, there was no choice but to take her. I called Lindsey and told him I was on my way home from the vet's.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" he asked with alarm.

"Nothing," I replied. "I'm just trying to drive with this little girl puppy licking me in the face."

Lindsey and Gumbo were sitting on the front porch waiting for us. We've been inseparable since.

Her new name is Roux, which of course, is the base of any gumbo.