MEET SOPHIE

A couple of years ago or so, my two friends in Iowa, Susie and Linda, decided to get up very early in the morning and drive to southwestern Iowa and watch Prairie Chickens. (They are always doing stuff like this.) So they did.
On the way down, Linda discussed that maybe she was ready to get another dog, that Holly, her beloved Sheltie had been gone quite awhile, and maybe she was thinking it was time for another dog. They saw the chickens. It was barely dawn so they started home.
Susie and Linda are fun to travel with because they take the paths less taken. So rather than return via interstate, they stuck to county roads, doing bird-spotting as they went, watching tons of Meadowlarks. (It was April or thereabouts.)
As they drove they came to a deserted farm with three turkey vultures roosting on the roof. Susie stopped to get a photo, but two of the birds flew away. Thinking she could get the remaining bird to turn his head, Linda whistled.
From out of the brush flew a little dog: a puppy. Black, brown, white, waggy, wiggly, happy happy happy, bouncey bouncey happy puppy.
Linda said something like, Oh my God, what do we do now?
And Susie said "Well, I know what YOU'RE going to do now."

And so after stopping at a couple of farmhouses on the way where no one was home, they took the puppy home, and by 10 in the morning, Linda had a dog.
And so, This is Sophie:

This is what you usually see when you see Sophie.
Movement.
Sophie rarely stops.
She is self-winding, self-starting, self-propelling and selfless.
Sophie loves almost everyone.
Sophie loves toys.
Sophie loves to run.
Sophie is exceedingly fast and very very agile.
She is a bit scarey that way. At least Cooper, who has met her and thought for a moment that he  might be able to play with her as she whizzed around him like a dervish.
He gave up.

This is Sophie, too. We have had many debates about what she is. I say the face and tail are Basenji. The whole package except the personality is pretty Basenji-ish to me, but she in no way resembles the Basenjis I have known as far as her
temperament and preferences for people and other dogs are concerned.
Oh.
Yes. And she plays with Susie's cats, altho there is some question as to just how much fun the cats are having.

And here is Sophie with her typical expression: a BIG SMILE. I have never in my entire life known a dog as happy as Sophie. And I have known an awful lot of dogs.
Sophie makes me laugh everytime I see her. She makes everyone smile. Sophie is the original Dr. Feelgood.
Linda is incredibly lucky. And so is Sophie.

Happiest Holidays to the Happiest Dog I have ever known.