"What a (cute, pretty, cool) dog!"

Honey and I like to take long, leisurely walks around the neighborhood. It's part of our daily routine. With her tail wagging high, her ears perked up, and her mouth in a smile, Honey is the picture of doggie happiness during her walks.

As we walk around the neighborhood, we run into our neighbors, both the animal and human kind. In the animal kind category, we have squirrels, rabbits, cats, random birds, and even other dogs. All in all, Honey is always excited to see other furry critters, but she never barks. The most she ever does is whine a little. The reaction of the others, however, varies. The rabbits freeze until the Big Bad Dog has passed by, as do some of the braver cats. The squirrels scamper away, as do some of the more cowardly cats. The birds ignore her, for the most part, and the dogs, well, they just want to say hello and play -- which can be troublesome if I'm not ready for their visit.

The humans, on the other hand, have a singular reaction: admiration. Every single time someone sees Honey, the usual comment is "What a nice/pretty/cool/cute dog!" and it develops from there. I have had little kids run from their driveway to the sidewalk to "pet the cute doggie." One time, a senior couple, on their evening constitutional, gave Honey and me the right of way, but they asked to pet the pretty dog before they let us pass. Teenagers have stopped their touch football game to give us room to walk, and some have even asked, "Is it OK to pet your dog?" But the most memorable happened recently, when a car full of college students pulled next to us, windows rolled down, and all the dudes in the car said, "Dude, that's a cool dog."

Honey takes all the attention in stride, but doesn't get affectionate with these strangers that pet her. Like a movie star, she takes the adulation with quiet dignity.

After we have moved on from these greeters, she usually looks up at me with a look that seems to say, "Yeah, they might think I'm cute, but I like you best."