Fabulous new piece of exercise equipment.

In the past week, I have gone for at least one brisk walk every day. I have even caught myself running, much to the amusement, I'm sure, of my neighbours. This exercise equipment is having a hugely positive effect on the quality of life of every member of our family (including the cats, who are getting very good at changing direction in mid-air).

I introduce to you: Piper.

Since my dog passed away last fall, I've been feeling a little blue. (Okay, maybe more than just "a little".) So I've been thinking hard about what I wanted my next dog to be like, and I decided that besides companionship and a best buddy, I wanted someone who would force me to be more active. And that was when I decided that a border collie was the way to go. Not only are they argued to be the most intelligent dog breed, but they are famous for their stamina and need for exercise.

Piper came from an animal shelter. I found her on (appropriately enough) Petfinder.com, and she's mostly border collie with a little something else (they think Lab, maybe) thrown in. She's eleven weeks old now and although she needs frequent naps (since she's just a baby), the amount of energy that she has when she's raring to go makes me wonder if I should have named her Nuclear Reactor instead. We are going to start doing agility as soon as she's a year old, for both of our sakes'. I'm looking forward to it, actually.

Right now she's tired, so she's curled up at my feet, casually chewing on her toy.

And yes, folks -- in case you had any doubt -- I'm in love.