We lost Carmen, the second of our two old dog girls, in February of 2006. We intended to wait for awhile to get another dog (at least until summer, anyway). Then in April, I saw Crystal on the Forget Me Not animal shelter website, and I immediately fell in love.

Okay, she first caught my eye because she looked quite a bit like Carmen. But I could tell that she was her own girl. She was just eight or nine months old. We'd wanted to find a young pup who could keep up with Fenris and Orion. She was a spaniel mix, and I've always loved the playfulness and intelligence of spaniels. I couldn't resist. I put in an application to adopt her, and just a week later, she was ours.

Crystal is a sweet, affectionate, silly pup. She makes us laugh every day. She loves to play ball with the boys, and she's a fine gardening assistant. (She digs holes and eats weeds, what more could I ask for?) And she's not really a clone of Carmen. Her legs are longer, her nose lis longer, and her tongue frequently hangs out of the side of her head like a cartoon wolf.

She loves Black John a little too much. We're trying to convince her that he's not, in fact, a dog toy. She never hurts him, but the poor guy frequently turns up with his fur spiked with "dog spit" brand hair gel. Crystal and Jack are inseparable. They split their time between wrestling and playing like lunatics, and snuggling up together.

Crystal is the cuddliest dog I've ever met. As soon as I get home from work, she wants me to sit on the couch, so she can snuggle up close, lean against me, and tell me all about her day.

This is just a great little dawg. She's mischievous like Carmen, sweet like Idgie, and she's just what our family needed.

Crystal getting a hug from Orion.

Crystal at Forget Me Not shelter, waiting for a home. And yes, this really is a picture of Crystal and not Carmen.

Crystal's lovely profile.

Crystal looking particularly noble.

Napping on the kitchen floor.

Getting another squeeze.