Harlanita!

Harlow came with us to Eastern Washington for Thanksgiving. She's a good road trip dog, although she looks a little dubious of the upcoming adventure in this photo:

She's decided that laying across the bench in the back of the truck isn't close enough to us. Instead, laying with the front end on the center console between our front seats.

The best part though is seeing her interact with my parents. My mom has never been a dog person; she wasn't around one as a kid and so is awkward and uncertain around them. That, of course, only makes Harlow want to greet Sandi more insistently, with a case of the wiggles nearly 180 degrees, hard leaning into her, and a lake of excited pee. Once the pee gets cleaned up, there is a game of chase with a tennis ball. 

The best tennis ball thrower, though, is my dad, who spent half his Saturday tossing a tennis ball around their condo. Mike, who "doesn't like dogs", is smitten. 

And of course, there is Gretchen. Harlow likes to be a Helper Dog! when around Gretchen:

There are so many things I love about her. The morning wiggles, the expressive face, the smell of the top of her head, the way she falls asleep curled at my feet and her enthusiasm for playing in the snow, to name a few. She's pretty much a ball of awesome wrapped in a LOT of fur!