On my way out the door this hot morning, I set left a floor fan on and placed a dog bed right in front of it. Thelonious the mutt watched balefully, one ear inside out, as I checked her water bowl and opened the basement door. If she’s so inclined, she can sleep on the couches down in the musty cool, but she’ll probably stay on her bed, snoring softly. When I get home, she’ll jump up and stand on her hind legs a wag her tail - it’s great to be greeted by a giant meerkat.

Every once in a while, Thel will wander by and instead of seeing her, I see my previous dog Hieronymus. Thel is a golden shepherd - boxer cross with pointed nose and full tail; Hie was a brindle boxer with stob face and stub tail. After she died, I dug up every recording I could find of her. My partner and I had played with various video recorders, so we had a bit of footage of Hie, and had also recorded an album at home with her barking at the performers. Now, when Thel barks, I recognize the sound as distinct but still think of the sound of Hie’s barks. Such a silly thing - a woof in play or a gruf of alert - and I can see the distinct personalities in two canines who have been part of my family.