Courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific, which may not be quite on the level of the Monterey Bay Aquarium but is still pretty awesome.
Apparently octopuses are really smart and surprisingly affectionate.
Apparently being an octopus handler is a high-stress job, because you get really attached to your subject, but they only live two years at most.
Some examples of octopus smartness in this article. Pretty amazing.
SPCA kittens! Quick, go adopt one before they’re all gone!
I can’t decide what’s cuter: the little pink nose or the little grey nose.
I ran into Nina (6 years old) right near the Chestnut Street Apple Store, but this was a few weeks ago so I’m pretty sure they weren’t in line for the new Apple Watch or whatever you call it. Still, you never can tell.
I. Love. Berners.
Look at that concentrated happy.
Not quite clear on what I did, but that’s quite an expression.
Even when they’re not looking happy they are still adorable. And hilarious.
Frankie! Six months old, and already the LONGEST EARS IN THE CITY!
I need to do more videos. Watching this dog’s ears flop around is a potent antidepressant.
If you look closely you can catch a glimpse of spotty puppy belly.
Three quarters of my pictures of Frankie were of him scratching his ear. I think he may have been hinting at something. “PET ME HERE!”
I never get tired of these guys. Sterling was right around 1 year old when I took this picture, and enjoying a brisk walk through North Beach.
Look at that happy face. I wonder what prompted it?
Ah yes. Well, this is a corgi, after all.
Racing stripe, right down the nose!
So, about that ‘you end up looking like your dog’ thing…
DRILLDOG!
A puli! Our first white one. Bailey is 4, and happy as anything and doesn’t have nearly as long dreads as some pulik (the plural) do, which is handy because it means she can see and isn’t quite as hard to keep clean. Plus it’s easier for her to lick people.
Note the tail blur.
There are eyes in there somewhere, I promise.
A good look at those dreads. They’re actually fairly fine.
Shy, at 5 months old, was definitely not shy. She loves everybody!
Everyone walking by had to give this gal a wide berth if they didn’t want their ankles smooched.
Puts me in mind of a phrase from a song Autumn is writing: ‘Her tongue was as pink as the ham.’ Yes, it’s a dog song.
I don’t spend a lot of time taking pictures of pigeons, but this one amused me. I took the pictures, and then I went and moved the chip bag out of the street, because although I admit to not being the biggest pigeon fancier in the world, I still didn’t think this one deserved to get run over by a car with his head in a potato chip bag.
I saw him walking over to it, and I thought, ‘Will he?’
Yes, he did.
Autumn and I ran into Leilani again on our way home from dinner one night. She’s the store cat at the dog-grooming parlor near our house, the Groom Room. We’ve posted a few pictures of her before but this time she was sitting in the window and begging for attention, even to the point of trying to rub against our fingers through the window. It was so cute.
A very welcoming place.
Autumn got in on the action, so here’s a picture of her taking a picture of the kitty!
Hairless dogs always get a pass from me as far as clothes are concerned. I mean, it can get cold out there! And Harry (4 years old) was really rocking this sweater. Also, on a personal note, as I get older I get more and more sympathy for those whose hair seems to be less where it should be — in my case, the top of my head — and more on their ears.
You’re going to be seeing more of those ears. Which is a damn good thing because they are amazing.
Look at that adorable expression, too.
Such an expressive face.
The problem with taking dog pictures is that the dogs are usually either very interested in sniffing everything (so you get pictures of the tops of their heads)…
…or they’re trying to lick you, in which case you end up with very close close-ups. Also: THOSE EARS.