I love all animals—yes, even spiders and jellyfish. (Although I admit to being less fond of flies and mosquitoes.) And of course, I love cats. But I am what you would call a dog person. I love all dogs and they all seem to love me. So, of course, I live with dogs when possible. Currently our dogs are Ella and Lilly (pictured). But this section of my site celebrates all the dogs I've loved.

Sniffy

By: Paul S Cilwa	Posted: 1/15/2020		Page Views: 1,508
Hashtags: #Family #Dogs #Sniffy
The story of my first dog.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (182 words)

My very first dog was named Sniffy. He came with that name, but it certainly suited him. My dad got Sniffy for me shortly after we moved to a 100-year-old house in Vermont. Sniffy and I went everywhere! Freed from the dangers of the city we'd left, and naive to the different dangers of the forest, Sniffy and I wandered over much of our 65 acres, unsupervised. But, at the end of the summer after my dad died, we returned to the city for the winter, leaving Sniffy with friends. I never saw him again.

Wrags

	Posted: 1/15/2020		Page Views: 1,648
Hashtags: #Family #Dogs #Wrags
About my second dog, who I at least got to keep a couple years.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (98 words)

After I learned of Sniffy's death—just a few months after the death of my father—I was inconsolable until I was told that Sniffy had a daughter, who lived on the same farm that Sniffy had come from; and that I could have her. They also told me she hadn't yet been named, and so I very deliberately named her 'Wrags' (with that spelling) because it combined the raggedy appearance of her coat with her enthusiastic tail wagging whenever she saw me. (I was eight years old, and my adult self is still impressed.)

Blackie

	Occurred: 7/1/1982 Posted: 11/10/2025		Page Views: 96
Hashtags: #Family #Dogs #Blackie
My son's first dog.
Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s) (519 words)

When I moved the family to Elkton, Florida, it was into a double-wide trailer on a large piece of property—a couple of acres, at least. And my son had been asking for a doggie. Well, this being the first time we'd lived on a large enough piece of property for us to have a dog, and with Mary's permission, I decided to go for it. We picked up a rescue from the local dog pound and named him Blackie.

Ella

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 10/7/2015 Posted: 2/18/2020		Page Views: 2
Hashtags: #Family #Dogs #Ella
About the most beautiful dog in the world.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (111 words)

Ella was originally my grandson Zach's dog, a puppy that was a gift from his parents for Christmas. A purebred Golden Retriever, Ella grew fast and was all over the place. Unfortunately, Zach, who was a senior in high school at the time, had too much homework and also had a part-time job, so his mom wound up taking care of her—which with two toddlers to watch at the same time, turned out to be an impossible job. So they passed Ella on to me: First, to potty train her; but she just never left, as Zach went on to New York to college, then Hawaii ahead of us.

Lilly

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 5/10/2017		Page Views: 1,588
Hashtags: #Family #Dogs #Lilly
The other most beautiful dog in the world.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (130 words)

Lilly was originally my son John's dog, a puppy that he bought for himself. Unfortunately, although John loves dogs as much as I do, he is terribly allergic to them. He chose Lilly (originally named Jelly) because she was supposed to be non-allergenic. That didn't turn out to be true, and after a few weeks John got tired of explaining to everyone why he had a rash all the time and asked if Keith and I would take her over.

Finley

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 2/15/2023		Page Views: 739
Hashtags: #Dogs #FamilyDogs #Finley
My daughter gets a puppy.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (59 words)

When I came to live with my daughter, Jenny, and her kids, I came with my two dogs, Ella and Lilly. Plus, Jenny had (at that time) four cats. So I was surprised when she came home with a new puppy named Finley. However, except for not being born housebroken, Finley is a sweet little baby who loves everyone.

My Favorite Dog Moments of 2025

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 12/26/2025 Posted: 1/11/2026		Page Views: 187
Hashtags: #Dogs #Lilly #Finley
A look at Lilly and Finley at home.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (39 words)

Is there anything more soothing to the soul than the sight of a couple of dogs sleeping peacefully? Or more fun than to watch a couple of them play fighting?

A Mischief of Dogs

By: Paul S Cilwa			Page Views: 41
Hashtags: #Dogs #FamilyDogs #Finley #Ella #Lilly
Who doesn't smile at dogs enjoying themselves?

I've been a happy pet parent for many years now. Although I can no longer walk them (they pull me over), they too are aging and spend most of their time just hanging out with me as I work or watch a movie. Here, gathered by year, are a collection of my favorite moments.