This is a cute freaking dog. And I don’t even like animals.

Kona was only a few months old when this picture was taken after her first bath at our house. She’s 7 months old now, and cute in a different way. The way that makes me shower her with praise and high-pitched puppy talk when she plops down on her doggy bed and plays with a toy. When she’s not scratching at the floor to get a ball under the couch, or jumping up in a fit of unbridled energy to play, or barking at me in her jabber — vehemently chastising me for trying to sit down and relax. That’s when she’s cute.