Torvald and Inga, continued.

Inga, a weiner/terrier mix who had been dumped in the woods, found her way to the 'Bean and whimpered her desire to join the DBR's Awesome Dog Pack. From the moment she appeared, big Torvald treated her as the little sister he'd always wanted. For days, Inga's head was gooey where Tor had licked her and even tried to pick her up by the scruff of her neck and carry her like a puppy. They're best friends. The two nap together, play together and, unfortunately, get into mischief together.

Like the lovely spring evening they decided to take up gardening. I heard a thunk outside the kitchen window and went to investigate. Big Tor had managed to reach a flat of strawberry plants I'd set on an outdoor shelf, one I'd thought was beyond Tor's reach. Silly me. The thunk was the sound of big Tor pulling the flat off the shelf. When I arrived, Inga was doing her part by running back and forth through the plants as fast as her stubby little legs would carry her. Both dogs seemed very pleased by their hard work, and I learned my lesson on the extent of Torvald's reach. Or so I thought.

Like I said, silly me.

The Naughty Adventures of Inga and Torvald.

The big dog is Torvald. The little one's named Inga. They came to us the way all our animals have: dumped by some tender soul.

Torvald came out of the woods the morning of one of the coldest days of the year, last winter. He was just a pup. As with all our dumpees, he was at the doctor's office less than 24 hours later. (No litters on the Dancing Bean, thank you very much). Dr. Gilliland told us he was a very fine example of a pureblood labrador, but warned that the breed "can be a little rambunctious. " (The Doc is a master of understatement.)

Torvald's antics have driven us half mad, caught somewhere between laughter and anger. Take the morning Bill opened the door of his carpentry shop where the dogs sleep and heard an unfamiliar buzz. Searching out the source of the noise, he discovered that Torvald had pulled a power sander off a work table that Bill had thought even the big lab couldn't reach. Somehow, he'd manage to turn it on.

Just as I'd decided he couldn't be any naughtier, a partner for his crimes appeared. A very small partner. (To be continued).