The Westminster Kennel Club show has ended, and again I missed it. I’m not big on show dogs, and my wife and I don’t have dogs now, but until they passed on a few years back we had a pair of pound pups, sisters of some mixed heritage.

Just as our two boys have disparate personalities, so it was with the sister mutts. Daisy was tough and aggressive, loyal, and stubborn, while Minnie was laid back, a follower, and sweet natured. Both were wonderful garden dogs. Of course there was an occasional broken branch as they bounded off on the trail of a squirrel, rabbit, deer, or anything else that their hunting dog genes dictated that they follow, but that was a trivial concern.

One summer we noticed that moles had invaded one of the small areas of lawn in the back garden, and before my wife and I could even think whether this was a problem or not the sisters decided on their own. The dogs followed the raised section of lawn with their nose to the ground, stopped suddenly and dug frantically for a few seconds until their prize was captured. Further details are a bit gory, but our mole problem was quickly resolved.

If the dogs were still around I would probably not have to spray deer repellent to protect the garden, though as the neighborhood developed around us we were forced to confine the sisters indoors more often so that they wouldn’t chase every critter that passed through. Given any opportunity Daisy would tear off after anything that moved, and Minnie would trail behind. A few hours later they’d return, and Minnie would plop down into the stream in the shade of the serviceberry to cool off.

My wife and I talk occasionally about getting another dog or two, usually after our son and his wife visit with their greyhound, but I am apprehensive that we would find a dog as garden friendly as the two sisters.