Chip whispers a secret to good friend Mary Erna outside of Dog School 101. He was seeking advice as to how he can win the Princess Cocoa Joy’s heart. Did she have any insight into how this could be done?

Left to right: Princess Cocoa Joy, Prince Chipley, and the mighty King Raphael receive treats for knowing how to sit and watch—though none of them were doing either of these at the moment.

“It is fatal to let any dog know that he is funny, for he immediately loses his head and starts hamming it up.”

— P.G. Wodenhouse

There are times when I miss Cocoa being a baby. Then there are other times—like when Chip suddenly tries to bite all my fingers off—that I am truly grateful she is four years old. This is a photo of her when she was about three and a half months old and content to just hang out beside my desk in her “den.” When I read the above quote, I couldn’t help but remember this silly photo.

My little Easter bunnies could not hold still for a photo. And I confess that I really hate the bunny ears, but I had to see if Cocoa would wear them and she did. She is such a good and very patient dog.

Chip adores her.

On Saturday, we finally had an opportunity to get out in the sun and enjoy being together for a few minutes. This pond (in Atlanta) had lots of ducks, which are Cocoa’s favorite things to watch. They would take off, glide over us, and then land perfectly in the lake. After looking at this photo, its hard to imagine that the forecast for Monday and Tuesday includes snow flurries!

Of course, Chip was there, too.

One rainy day in a kingdom very near here, the fair Princess Cocoa Joy woke up from a perfectly lovely nap and realized she was alone. And suddenly, meeting the young handsome Prince Chipley did not seem like such a bad idea.

Slowly and softly, Chipley moved closer to the fair maiden. Would she smile if he said hello?

Well, she didn’t necessarily smile, but she certainly did not turn away either. Being anxious to make a good impression, Chipley offered his greatest gift. He said, “Fair Princess, I offer you the keys to my heart, and I believe they have a distinctive ham bone scent. Mmmmm.”

Suddenly, we were together. Just like it was meant to be.

For a  very few moments, we were the best of friends—just hanging out together . . . .

Until, I began flipping around with too much charm and finesse. Then it happened. I did something that was totally out of character for a young Prince, I bit the beautiful Princess. And though it was just a teeny, tiny play bite, the damage had been done and . . . .

Alas, I was alone again. Drat, drat and double drat! Just as quickly as she came, she was gone. And I was left to whimper and imagine how it might have been . . . . I just have to find a way to capture the Princess’s heart.

“  To be continued . . . .