I have a lot of kids, and we all have a lot of dogs. When my children were younger and all still at home, each of them had a dog, and some had two. (We also had a potbellied pig, which was a LOT less fun! Having had one, I think pigs are over-rated as pets.) We’ve never had cats because I’m allergic to them, so dogs were the order of the day. And each of the children have their favorite breeds.

I grew up with pugs, so I always had a special fondness for them, though they’re not always an easy breed. I had two as well when I was grown up. And I had a brief and disastrous try with French bull dogs, and unfortunately got two really nasty ones, so I’m shy of the breed, although I’m sure there are nice ones. The two I had were mean and vicious.

My favorite breed, for myself, are miniature Brussels Griffons. They look like Ewoks, and have funny little squashed faces (a short nosed breed), and if not clipped, have a shaggy look. Some people cut their ears, but I prefer the floppy ear look. And many people shave them with a Schnauzer style haircut, but I like them shaggy looking with longer hair. They are lovable, loving, quiet natured, sleep a lot, and are easy to be with. My favorite favorite current one is Gracie (a blonde), and she looks exactly like the Griffon they used in the movie ‘As Good as It Gets’. I also have two others, Meg and Hope. Meg is black. (Griffs come in blonde or black, and the black ones are harder to come by). And Hope is blonde like Gracie. Both Meg and Hope are very sweet, although Gracie is the family princess. Gracie is 3, and the others are 2 years old. I had 3 others before this, from the same litter, and they got me hooked on the breed forever. The original group lived to be 14, which is a pretty good run.

My daughter Vanessa is partial to tiny Yorkies, and she has had some really cute ones. The current star is ‘Gidget’, who goes everywhere in Vanessa’s purse, and looks like a tiny teddy bear.

Victoria got us started on Chihuahuas and addicted to them. She has a cinnamon colored tea cup short hair who looks like a miniature version of Bambi. Her name is Tallulah, and both Gidget and Tallulah are terrific travelers, and happily sleep in their travelling bags on any flight.

Samantha has the two grande dames of the family: a 14 year old miniature black Dachshund, Mia, and Chiquita, a black tea cup Chihuahua who is 13. Sam is a marvel caring for them, with their extensive health needs, and she readily says that Mia is ‘naughty’. Mia loves playing with toys, and will eat anything that isn’t nailed down. She cruises the garbage whenever possible, will find the smallest piece of chocolate buried in your purse (and then have to have her stomach pumped, a regular occurrence with Mia), and Mia and Chiquita hate to fly, and will bark non-stop on any flight, but they are both adorable dogs. I baby sit for them and all the others often, sometimes all of them at once.

Maxx has the sweetest dog in the family, a Boston Bull Terrier named Annabelle with an adorable disposition.

And Beatrix caught the Brussels Griffon bug from me. Hers is named Simon.

Trevor and Alexis have a Jack Russell named Tippy, and a Dachshund name Lafitte. And Todd and Katie have a wildly friendly black Lab named Birdie.

It's a lotta dogs, but we love them!!