Dogs have personalities; I beleive we can all attest to that statement. Our pack consists of three Shetland Sheepdogs and a Collie. The leader of the pack, or alpha dog, is Declan (a.k.a. Deckie), who also happens to be the smallest dog we have, weighing in at about 21 lbs or so.

But Deckie doesn't know he's small. We don't condone it...never have and never will, but there are times when he has to prove that he's the boss to the other dogs. This usually consists of teeth baring or growls when he walks past them, probably some remaining vestage of when his type of dog needed to protect the pack in the wild-alpha eats/drinks first so s/he can stay strong and protect the rest of the pack from interlopers/danger.

So, it was odd when Deckie settled down outside and let me snap a still shot of him at rest. This one was taken over the 12/2-12/3/06 weekend & captures the little dynamo looking intently up at me.

Deckie the Sheltie with Great Intent

And in the lower right-hand corner you'll see Lily also staring up at the camera. I realize it's not  a complete picture of her but she's easily recognizable all the same. At least to us as owners we know it's Lily!