by William J. Gibson

Two Golden Retrievers: the ongoing saga of 2X Golden : one named Diamond (female, four and a half years old), the other Shakespeare (male, two and a half years old). They are truly sister and brother, their parents Lady Ashley and Lucky. What bothers me the most is the clear evidence on almost a daily basis that they are smarter than me.

From July 21, 2001: "Life with a thick fur coat can be good. When the air temperature approaches internal body temperature there can be a problem. Diamond has been perfecting her hypnosis and telepathy powers recently. She can now get me to turn on the air conditioner whenever she likes. She also persuades me that the big floor box fan is a wonderful part of modern living. Once the A/C and the fan are set for maximum cross cooling, she lays down at the point of intersection. Her brother sometimes tries for a manfully slick move to get a better spot in this airflow relief but usually fails.

When it gets really hot, I often draw her and him away from this little part of the Arctic, by picking up their squeaky toy and squeaking it down the hall. In her weaker moments she follows. He always falls for it. I toss the toy, sneak back. Then I lie down on the rug and try to be a real cool dog.

I promise I pick up the squeaky toy with my hands."