[Martin Elster]

I could fill in the details of the dog episode (like how I lost sight of him), but that would take too much space. Needless to say, I was quite worried. I thought that, though unlikely, he might have tried to make his way home (which would have been disastrous, not only because he'd have had to cross a couple of dangerous streets, but also because I would have spent the whole night, till dawn, at the park before giving up the search). We do, indeed, keep each other fit. (He is almost impossible to keep on a leash, because he has no leash manners and generally lags behind, so I end up dragging him. So I go places where I can, for the most part, let him run free. He mostly follows me, except that he tends to stray away when scavenging for trash — and there's plenty of it around, even in the park.)

But to answer your question, I don't know about all rat terriers, but mine is about as inquisitive as a canine can get. Plus strong-willed, playful, and crazy. (Though not as much as in his younger days.)

I'm glad you enjoyed those last two poems. Yes, Sirius is the brightest star by far. It has a mysterious companion, a white dwarf star. You can spot Sirius in the wintertime just east of Orion and always following him. Yup, the Dog Star. The constellation is called Canis Major (the Great Dog). Robert Frost wrote a cute little poem about it, along with the Canis Minor (the Little Dog). It’s another dog following Orion. It contains the bright star Procyon. Procyon is higher in the sky than Sirius.