Backyard Buddies
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Very Good, Very Bad Dog
By Janice R. Edwards

Fun fact: All dogs have pink tongues, except for the Chow Chow and Shar-Pei, which have black or purplish tongues. Many dogs have black spots on their tongues, though.

Lacey, our female Yorkie, saw me opening the front door to check the mailbox and took that opportunity to slip out into the yard. She was usually very good about staying in the house, but she had an incentive to escape that day — our neighbor, Sarah, was in the front yard watching her son ride his new bike up and down the sidewalk while she fed her toddler.

Lacey was a mousey little dog who did not come into her own until she had a litter of puppies. She was a great mother and truly enjoyed taking care of her brood. She had three litters with our male, George Mutt, before we had her spayed. She had adored being a mama, but during her last pregnancy she had come down with milk fever and we decided it best not to breed her again. Her mother instincts still lingered, though. Every time she heard a puppy cry — even on television — she would search for it so she could "mother" that baby. Her maternal instinct went beyond puppies, too. She would mother all young things, from kittens to human babies. When she heard any distress call, Mama Lacey was there to comfort and quiet the little ones' fears. (Keep reading)