The Dogs

There are two dogs in my life, and they are both very good.

Maui

Maui is my Australian Shepherd. She is relentlessly smart, impossibly energetic, and deeply opinionated about where she should be at all times (usually wherever I am, preferably on my feet). Aussies are herding dogs, which means Maui has strong views on how the household should be organized. I respect this.

She has figured out that I leave the house at predictable times, and positions herself near the door approximately 45 minutes before I typically leave for a walk. I haven't proven causation, but the correlation is suspicious.

Ralph

Ralph is my roommate's Golden Retriever, and he is a large, warm, unhurried presence in our home. Where Maui is precise, Ralph is approximate. He greets everyone with the same enthusiasm — visitors, delivery drivers, squirrels through the window — as if each encounter is the best thing that has ever happened.

Ralph naps with commitment. I've learned a lot about rest from watching Ralph.

Between Maui's intensity and Ralph's ease, they make a pretty good system. High throughput, good fault tolerance, zero latency on affection.