Ed

I'd like to introduce you to my first baby. His name is Ed, as in "Big Head Ed," "Mr. Ed," "Eduardo Carroccio" and (when he's being naughty) Edward. He's been a part of our family for almost 5 years - we "adopted" him while I was pregnant with Elliot.

Ed's birth mother is a golden retriever and his dad is a neighborhood dog. This combination of pure-bred and mutt spawned a gentle and loving dog whom we often compare to Gomer Pyle: his only desire in life is to be your friend - to love you and be loved back - and he's probably not the quickest puppy in the kennel. But we love him anyway.

Ed thinks he's a lap dog. I'm serious. If you sit on the floor with your legs crossed, Ed will try to sit on your lap. Of course, you'll probably have to move your legs to accommodate his large size, but I think most people tend to move when they see 75lbs of tail-wagging, stinky-breathe-blowing dogginess headed toward them. But we love him anyway.

Ed is so generous that he will give you the fur off his back. I find little clumps of it ALL OVER THE PLACE. And more than once I've seen it in places it shouldn't be. But we love him anyway.

Ed's gentleness and love for us has no bounds. This morning, he graciously and willing shared his pig's ear with Betsy. He was eating his treat on his bed, when Betsy walked up and took the pork flesh from his mouth. She carried it to the other side of the room, stuck it in her mouth, took a bite and started chewing. She didn't seem too bothered by the taste and I'm worried this is going to become a trend. But we love her anyway!