It's spring in New York. That may not come as a surprise to you if you look at the calendar, but in New York the coming of Spring shouldn't be taken for granted. Some years it just goes from winter to summer. You find yourself wearing your puffy down coat and it's suddenly sunny and 76 degrees out.

Midnight gave evidence that Spring was coming about two weeks ago. Suddenly her undercoat started shedding like slow black snow. One morning there was so much hair around her sleep crate you'd think she exploded and magicly put herself back together. And she just looks at you and smiles her "see what I can do?" smile. And you look at the pile and think "If I gather all that hair together and get an Acme Dr. Frankenstein Voltage Inducer, I can probably bring that pile to life. There's certainly enough there to make another dog.

Cinnamon also signals that Spring is creeping in, but more subtly. She always cools off by stretching luxuriously and rubbing her belly on the ground. On every walk when the temperature is above zero she does it at least once. To say Cinnamon has a thick coat is like saying Everest is a bit high. But it's mostly on her back. And throat. And legs, and butt, and so forth. Just not on her belly. Her coat is kind of thin on her belly, so when she wants to cool off, she rubs her belly on the ground.

Lately she is doing a great deal more belly rubbing on every walk. So you know it's warmer. So Spring is coming. At least her belly says so.

The dogs are perkier, the birds are chirpier, the neighbors are wearing less clothes, there are more cats on the street. It's Spring.

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You can see pictures of Cinnamon, Midnight, Prada and their friends in the image galleries, here on www.woofspace.com. You can add pictures of your dogs, too.