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as she pranced to my car.

A brief trip to the vet to have her cough checked revealed it was kennel cough' and was treatable. The hoarse-sounding bark, however, was the result of cruel treatment with a chock chain by her previous owner. With the health evaluation now out of the way, we headed for home. How Tally did like her new home: a big fenced-in backyard where she could roam to her heart's content, chasing birds and squirrels, or just lie on the soft, green grass, basking in the warmth of the sun.

Tally proved to be the most sociable dog I had ever seen. She liked everyone - people and other animals alike. She'd walk right up and greet them with a wag of her stubby little tail, and friendly demeanor. In time, everyone in the neighborhood knew her name. She was the official greeter beating everyone else to the door. Yet, her powerful bark let people know she was there to protect as well as to be friendly. Never did I come home that she didn't immediately run to greet me at the gate, rain or shine, with a friendly bark. "I'm so glad you've home again," she seemed to say.

Tally was a dog who lived to eat. It didn't matter what the brand as long as it was food. Summer was a time of special joy for her, and one of her favorite foods was corn-on-the-cob. She'd sit there, her face a picture of pure bliss, holding the cob between her paws gnawing away at every last kernel.

Tally, being the unusual dog she was, also happened to like grapes. Green grapes were her favorite. I had never heard of a dog eating fruit before, but Tally was the exception. One of her favorite summer fun games was to chase grapes rolled to her on the floor. Then, of course, there were the summer barbecues; Tally was in her glory with all those wonderful bones! To this day, I'm still finding bones in the ground she had tucked away for safekeeping!

Tally's personality showed through in so many unique ways. For instance, when she was resting, she would often gracefully cross one front paw over the other in the most regal, lady-like manner. I tried to take a snapshot of this unusual pose many times, but Tally was too camera shy to allow it.

A couple years after Tally came to live with me, another dog, a female Sheltie, also came to our home. She was just a puppy and we named her Fluffy. Immediately the two dogs became inseparable friends. Often little Fluffy would sit by Tally, licking her ears and eyes, and Tally would reciprocate by cleaning Fluffy's face. Such a gentle, beautiful expression of

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