OK, how can a cute little doggie like this do any wrong, huh? Chloe is the darling-est dog ever to be found at a rescue, well-trained, usually fun and obedient - I've been calling her a "miracle dog." So how today does she come to be the dog from the flames?? Lemme tell ya - (I posted this to a friend and wasn't going to share it, but it's just too funny - you have to laugh.)

Our tragicomedy begins while we were having a nice walkie, Chloe enjoying some time off the leash, which she is not bad at. She loves to chase lizards, and so when she jumped into some ground cover I didn't think twice about what she was after. In a moment, she was rolling back and forth in the plants, just lovin' life (I thought). ("What a cutie" is going through my mind UNTIL …) I realize her white coat is turning brown in the process. What? Is this mud? Oh, noooooooo. Chloe has covered herself and her collar head to toe in another dog's poop! She stinks to high heaven!

I promptly snap on her leash, getting the rank stuff on my fingers as I do, taking care not to be mean as I know she is wondering why I am spoiling her fun, and race her back to the house. Trotting her quickly across my somewhat clean floors and carpet, I am praying, "Don't roll! Don't roll!" and I make it to the master bathroom, which, thank God, has a garden tub. I close the door to keep her in (not easy since she abhors baths) and whip off my shorts so I can get in the tub with her.

After two shampoos, with the dog wrapped in a towel under one arm so she won't shake, I put my shorts back on with one hand (yeah - nice), tote her out to the back porch and attach her to the BBQ while I rinse out her collar with vinegar and water.

At least I got a bucketful of hair out of her while I was toweling her down - she's shedding like crazy!

She also peed on the rug today and pooped in our room which is usually off limits. She nipped me when I put her in her crate.

Now, I know she's adjusting to us being gone during the day, school starting and all, and me having to work when I am home, but isn't this JUST A BIT MUCH??

OK, ha-ha, now you're laughing, and you should be. The REAL miracle is, I did not kill the dog. We have made up and are playing fetch in the hallway. I must be insane.

Moral? Poop happens. And I actually laughed (and sweated) all the way through it. A friend told me today that every household needs a dog … hmmmm…