By JEANETTE GENSON, scene editor 

As I near my last few weeks as an editor of this paper, I want to take this opportunity to talk about a few of my biggest inspirations: my dogs. 

Just about everyone who knows me knows that I am a ‘premature dog lady.’ My best friend and I share three dogs, a heeler/jack-russell terrier mix who has more energy than a battery and two brothers who are some kind of chuhuaha mix.

All three dogs are about two-and-a-half years old and are so cute they should be in a calendar. And I’m not just saying that because I’m their mother.

Anika Pontouf Lewis-
Genson

She’s the terrier mix, and she is actually the devil.

When my roommate and I decided we wanted a dog two years ago, we did little to no research into the breeds we were looking into.

So one day I skipped math class and we jumped in the car and drove to Cle Elum to see this little puppy who was the last of her litter who hadn’t been adopted.

We arrived to meet this lady who was giving her away, and I could see my roommate instantly fall in love with her.

It was hard not to. She was a tiny beautiful white and black puppy with little, floppy ears. We decided almost immediately that she was ours, and we took her home.

Now, I’m not sure how much you know about jack russel terriers, but they are the single most energized dogs known to man.

I am not even kidding when I say she broke a window because she was running around the room so fast that when she brushed against the glass, it shattered.

Also, she can chase her tail at dangerous speeds for half hours at a time.

All right, to be honest, she’s a pain in the ass, but she has more personality and excitement than most of my human companions, and I love her for it.

Calvin Ray Lewis-Genson

Oh Calvin…Calvin, Calvin, Calvin. He is definitely the cutest of our dogs. He looks like a perpetual golden retriever puppy.

Honestly, the cutest. Everyone who walks through our doors says it. Here’s the problem: He has the charisma and social skills of an awkward 6-year-old.

If you try to cuddle or get too close, he slowly throws back his head while staring at you. Trust me, it’s as weird as it sounds.

On top of that, he has a hard time making friends, and can’t compete with other dogs for a human’s attention. Life seems slightly more complicated for Cal-Cal, but at least he’s cute.

Jude Giamatti Lewis-
Genson

Jude wins the award for having the most nicknames in the house. Judith, Judy, Dame Judy Dench, Judy Bloom, Fatty and princess. He is a boy, but has the most delicate disposition on the planet. Most of the time, he either just wants to be with his brother, Calvin, or with one of his mommies.

Being held and eating would be his ideal schedule, with maybe a little bit of rolling around looking cute.

He is possibly the cutest living creature I have ever seen, and can turn the angriest or most ratchet person into a  baby voice-talking buffoon.

The only problem is that he knows how cute he is, hence the nickname princess.

People call us crazy for adopting three dogs during our college years, and admittedly, we probably are.

But the most amazing part of my dogs is that I can have the worst possible day mixed with the worst weather added to an even worse traffic day, and the only things that can make me forget about all of that instantly are my dogs.

It’s a big responsibility to have dogs, but for all they do for me, the least I can do is offer them a safe home with some of the most dedicated pet owners in Ellensburg.