Lila was one of those mixes that no one could ever pin a name on. Until we saw her in the painting Venus of Urbino and realized that she was a Titian. That dog is her ancestor. Whatever that dog was - that is Lila.

Lila was a great gift, an immeasurable joy, from the Prince George's SPCA/Humane Society.

Three pounds when we adopted her, she became a nanny dog, never leaving her little girls when they were sick. Wearing the gay gypsy outfits they made for her. Winning the town costume contest when they dressed her as a sheep. Posing for their paintings of her.

And trying to keep the noisy lab mix in line. The only creature she ever bit was him, jumping up to seize his ear whenever he would start an episode of seemingly endless loud barking. That always ended it. Sometimes with an expensive trip to the emergency animal hospital. Once, memorably, on New Year's Eve.

She fancied herself a watch dog, barking at anyone who came to the door or even started up the sidewalk. She adored walks. Why did we take her on so few? She did get to accompany her adult caretaker to work at times, where she had endless friends.

She lived to be 18, outlasting the noisy lab, the gentle husky, the marriage, and even her beloved beagle Wazzuk by just 5 weeks. When he died she just faded away. Here is a picture of her at age 17, resting a lot by then but still always up for a walk in the creek, a few jumps through the snow.







See also: Bix; Koda and Marco; Wazzuk