One thing I like more than having a dog, is having two!

Meet Ella Underwood, or as I affectionately call her, "Miss Ella." Our friends, Chad and Sarabeth, took their sweet boy Owen B to California for Sarabeth's brother's wedding. Andy and I are the lucky people who got to take care of Miss Ella while they were gone. Isn't she beautiful?

We knew Berkley was going to love having Ella around for a few reasons. 1: Berkley is in love with Miss Ella. 2: Berkley thinks I am the most boring person in the world to spend all day with, being that I'm usually reading which is very dull for him. He must resort to staring out the window of our bedroom, wishing he had a more interesting Mommy.

However, I was looking forward to Ella's stay as well. See, in the world of dogs, girls rule. So aside from being the dominant one of the two, Ella is also older, bigger, and stronger than Berkley. She was going to be my puppysitter! (She's also very well behaved in the house...)

Andy warned me that Berkley was also excited for Ella to come because he'd want to get some action. I assured him he couldn't be more mistaken. Ella and Berkley were both "fixed" at an early age to assure that nothing of the sort would ever happen. Berkley proved me wrong within the first five minutes. By the end of the day, I was so tired of yelling, "Berkley, get off! Get off of her!" that I resorted to separating them by the butler door. I've now learned that some natural instincts are irrepressible. (This really only lasted the first day. After that, he realized it was not socially acceptable. Berkley has such manners.)

Sometimes, I would want to walk around without having two shadows. If Berkley was feeling calm enough to control himself, I would put both dogs in the back half of the house. This is how they would spend the rest of the time. Ella would stare at me, and Berkley would stare at Ella.

Ella is in love with the tennis ball. We took frequent trips to the dog park while she was with us. She has a one track mind when the tennis ball is out. We played fetch with her until she refused to move.

It was a good workout for Berkley too. Ella is in love with the tennis ball, Berkley is in love with Ella. We would throw the ball, Ella would chase after it, and Berkley would chase after her. It was wonderful! When we got home, Ella would zonk out on the floor, and Berkley would stand over her and lick her face until we made him stop. Then he'd lick her feet until we made him stop. Then he would decide to take a nap as close as he could get to her. She was very patient with him. :)

I just thought this was a cute picture. Look at Berkley's tongue!

Hydrate or die. Some of you will remember the motto.

I have always wanted two dogs, so this was a perfect opportunity for me to see what it would really be like. Here are my conclusions about the pros and cons.

Cons: 1. Everything costs double: vet bills, food, grooming, bones, etc. 2. It's harder to take them with you places, especially if you're by yourself. 3. Finding people who are willing to take care of your petS when you go out of town. Two is asking a lot more than one.

Pros: 1. They entertain each other, leaving you some time to yourself. 2. I found that talking to two non-responsive beings is much better than talking to one. 3. Better photo opportunities. 4. When you've got as much hair as Berkley, a little more doesn't make much of a difference. 5. When you go walking, you feel like you're driving a sleigh. (I tried to get a picture of this, but we always took walks first thing in the morning, and Andy was at work. It's hard to take candids by yourself.) 6. Leaving them at home is guilt-free!

So, don't just get a dog. Get two!