Maggie in Venice

Maggie reboots for the new year

ABOVE: Maggie tries out her Zack & Zoey high-top neoprene boots.

Maggie is currently in the United States, where she's likely to stay this winter so we (and she) can be closer to our 9-month-old granddaughter.

Thanks to a New Year's Eve snowstorm that left our local sidewalks and streets covered with ice, Maggie had to wear a new pair of dog booties before going on a walk today. While Durant held her upside down and Cheryl fitted the boots onto her feet, Maggie did a great impression of a protester practicing passive resistance: She went limp, proving that a 50-pound Beardie can be a lap dog.

On days like today, Maggie--who joined our family as a Beardie Rescue dog--probably wishes that she'd been adopted by a family in a warmer climate...or, better still, by a family that lives year-round in Venice.

Addendum: If you think the boots look goofy, see Maggie in her winter snowsuit.

Hot dog in Savona

This photo has nothing to with Maggie--or with Venice, for that matter--but we liked the sign so much that we wanted to share it: It's above the entrance to a fast-food shop in Savona, a small and attractive city in Liguria, about an hour north of Genoa by train.

Rome's Quirinale Palace Gardens: An unofficial dog park?

ABOVE: A Wired-Hair Fox Terrier and a West Highland White Terrier meet and greet in the Quirinal Gardens.

A week ago, we were in Rome without Maggie, who hates automotive traffic and has a tendency to herd Vespas.

It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon, and we wandered up the Quirinal Hill to the Palazzo del Quirinale, the official residence of the President of the Republic. There, we discovered that the Giardini del Quirinale--the gardens next to the palace--were a meeting place for dogs and their owners.

Here are some pictures from our visit:

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The Wire-Haired Fox Terrier in the photo at the top of the page approaches the steps to the Quirinal Hill and Gardens.

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During their meet-up in the Giardini del Quirinale, the two terriers honor the rule of "No fighting, no biting."

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From a vantage point directly in front of our park bench, the Westie has a High Noon-style encounter with an off-leash spaniel.

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In the meantime, a Dachshund watches the other dogs from a safe distance. (Dachshunds are extremely popular in Rome, and wire- or long-haired Dachsunds appear to be more common than miniature short-haired "wiener dogs.")

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Soon, the Westie and Dachshund are playing with a third dog in the Presidential Palace's unofficial dog park.