madamebookworm (whose user name I wish I'd thought of, even if, as a guy, I wouldn't have been able to use it myself) asked me about the dog whose picture I use as my icon. Yep, she's mine. Like most dog owners, I love talking about my dog, even if she can be a little poop head sometimes.

  The dog is a year-and-a-half-old miniature dachshund named Levitra. I will not cop to naming a dog after an ED medication. Even though, in a roundabout way, that's exactly what I did.

  For as long as I've known her, Rodeo Kitty has loved very small dogs--what I've always disparagingly called "yip-yap" dogs. Ever since Viagra came out, she's been in love with the visual pun of having a dachshund named Viagra. Because, you know, a dachshund is shaped kind of like a ... oh, come on, people! Do I have to spell out everything? I'm just glad the dog isn't shaped like some other organ or appendage. If she were shaped like, say, a descending colon, I could have ended up with a dog named Zelnorm.

  About a year and a half ago, I bought Rodeo Kitty a miniature dachshund for her birthday. So of course, she wanted to name it Viagra. But I pointed out to her that the dog is a female, and I thought Viagra sounded too masculine.

  Ladies and gentlemen, meet Tina Levitra Liebchen. That's as much of her name as will fit on her AKC registration papers. She also goes by a number of aliases, including Lev, Vitra, Punkin', Boodgie, Boodgie Bear, Boo Boo, Boo Boo Bear, Snausage, and Little Poop Head. It kind of depends on our moods and what she's been up to that she shouldn't have.

  We've taken Levitra (that doesn't sound right!) with us all over the state in our travels, and it's very disappointing how few people we meet get the joke. I haven't been so disappointed since I bought a box of Dilbert checks and not one person so much as smiled when I wrote a check. Only three groups of people seem to get the Levitra joke: medical professionals, older men, and teenage girls. The first two I can understand, but I'm stymied about the last group. Perhaps I should investigate that more before Zack gets to high school.

  There was one very strange incident related to her name. We regularly visit a local winery, and when it's summer and the weather is nice, we take Levitra (the dog, Dr. Freud, the dog!) with us and sit outside. Last summer we did that one day when an older couple approached us and asked our dog's name. When we told them, the man got a look of recognition on his face, then reached into his pocket and pulled out ... one Levitra tablet. "You mean like this?" he asked. For once, we were both speechless.

  Anyway, she's a very entertaining little dog, and very photogenic. I don't consider myself a good photographer, but I have a good camera; I've taken some time to learn how to use most of its features, and sometimes I get off a lucky shot. I'm particularly proud of these:



  That was taken last year on vacation. I don't remember if it was taken in Austin, Corpus Christi, or San Antonio. After a while, all the hotel rooms started to look alike. I also love this one, which was taken later that summer:



  Levitra has a fascination with the air conditioner vent. She goes into an almost Zen-like trance when there's cold air blowing on her snout.

  When you have seven cats, three dogs, five turtles, two birds, and an online journal, it's inevitable that some funny (and sometimes not-so-funny) stories about the former will end up in the latter. I'm sure I'll be writing more about Levitra in the future. (The dog, dammit, the dog!)