Fresh As A Daisy

As of last night, we have a new member of the family: Daisy, a four-month-old golden Labrador retriever (or mix), who's low-key, sweet and--at the risk of stating the obvious--darn cute.

Technically, we adopted Daisy from Florida All Retriever Rescue (FARR), which describes itself as "a non-profit, all volunteer, rescue organization dedicated to saving the lives of unwanted and neglected dogs throughout Florida, with a special focus on retriever breeds."

But I brought Daisy to our home from the home of Lee Courtney and Lauren Beardsley, who were fostering Daisy for FARR. Lee is also known as "Flee," the Music Director at WMNF, the Tampa radio station where I do "Talking Animals" (and a weekly music show).

The Friday of Labor Day Weekend, Flee sent an e-mail to all WMNF programmers that Daisy--then called Ashley--would be available for adoption soon. And he included pictures

The other parts of the description--including good with cats--sounded right up our alley. The next time I was in Tampa, Flee was kind enough to accommodate a visit to his house, so I could meet this pooch.

She was dreamy.

Fast forward to the next Wednesday--that is, yesterday--and I was back at Flee and Lauren's house to pay the FARR adoption fee, get the lowdown on this nice girl, including instructions for her post-spay care, and receive a Daisy briefing before embarking on the three-plus hour drive.

Now, she's met my wife, Colleen, and our son Mike (not quite six)--who both adore Daisy--and she's met our three cats, who don't. Yet...

More of the Daisy Chronicles in the coming days.