Orly loves adventure. Orly loves meeting people. And dogs, cats, and anyone else of any species. Orly is ready to play with anyone, anywhere, at any time. She has a real sense of adventure and zest for life.

She’s also constantly worried that she’s missing out on something. For instance, when I take a shower, she’s certain that I am doing something really fun behind that curtain — and she wants to be part of it. I usually find her pouting on the bathmat when I step out of the shower. (When she gets her turn in the tub, though, she does not think baths are fun.)

But when I do not rudely exclude her, she jumps into any activity with all four paws. She’s a social butterfly in her hiking group, for example, teaching other dogs the ropes.

Here she is sharing the finer points of mud-bathing with a new friend, in a photo taken by her hiking guide, the Missoula Dog Mom.

She also enjoys exploring our back yard, which has undergone some landscaping lately. Orly must investigate any new plants or irrigation hoses, test the quality of dirt patches (by digging of course), excavate roots and sticks, and, especially, monitor the progress of blackberry season.

The other day, she wedged herself under the blackberry bushes, helping herself to the ripe berries. When she emerged, she wore what looked like a lipstick mark (along with a big, self-satisfied grin).

And of course she’s the neighborhood watchdog, keeping tabs on the neighbor humans and dogs. Unfortunately, she enjoys narrating what she sees and hears, so I often have to whisk her inside and admonish her for barking. She does know to use an inside voice when I make her stay in, and she mutters under her breath about all the fun stuff she’s missing out on, as dogs march their people past her windows and through the back alley.

Poor Orly. There will never be enough hours in the day (or enough ways to escape her mean mom) to get to do all the fun stuff that’s out there.