Sometimes they can’t help but reveal themselves.  Luc, on the left, is very uneasy at being asked to lie down in the middle of the driveway (what could this mean?!).  Next is Wren, looking insane, as she often does.  Cass shows no sign that she’s aware of my existence, and Chloe is giving a little sidelong glance and wishing she could disappear.

The astute reader may notice an extra border collie…  Wren is staying with us for 10 days while her person, Denise Leonard (who used to be Chloe’s person as well), is away.  And while Wren’s stay is completely unrelated to the puppy mania sweeping the household, her presence has been instructive:  Four border collies do in fact fit in my little Volkswagen, and the chaos engendered by an additional dog feels like rounding error on the background chaos.  It’s also pretty entertaining to go for a walk with all 4 — the comic subplots grow exponentially with just one more pup.  I’m still agonizing over the immediate puppy decision, but I’m feeling more confident that I won’t unravel once a fourth joins us permanently.