many are chosen, but few come when they are called...

After much hounding (no pun intended) on the kids part, and deliberating about breeds and characteristics such as intelligence, barking habits, shedding, tolerance toward being mauled by multiple children- you know...that sort of thing. We threw all caution and research to the wind and adopted a "mutt" into the family. She is the exact sort of dog you might see roaming the street of any third world country, a truly mixed breed. Hopefully, a mix of all the good qualities you might want in a dog.
I began calling her Gloria (a fabulous dog name if you ask me, no offense if this is your name) but was quickly shut down by tears- nearly to the degree of 'weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth'. Wow- OK, I can take a hint. The name The Smalls themselves settled on is Izzy. I guess I can't complain, the name Gloria achieved middle-name credit.
She is very sweet, quiet, and not excited about being in the house, I'm pretty sure she's never been indoors before. By the end of the first day she was wrapped, like a baby, in numerous blankets and splayed out on the toy room futon with every imaginable puppy necessity The Smalls could dream up- surrounding her. Seeing her laying there in the lap of luxury, it occurred to me- Izzy is probably singing in her head "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" from the movie Annie.