Mingus is big. This is his defining characteristic when people first meet him. Mingus is enthusiastic. This can be off putting to new acquaintances. Mingus is smart. This attribute completes a problematic trifecta of personality traits. When we rescued Mingus in 2019, Mingus taught us something about dogs that, despite having them around for over 50 years, we did not know.

Smart, small dogs are great.

Dumb, big dogs are great.

Smart, big dogs are a handful.

Not content to deal with one big smart dog, in 2023 we added Miles. Miles is impossibly good looking, kind, loving, and apparently is being pursued by a dark, shadowy menace that the rest of the family (including Mingus) cannot see. His past is largely unknown other than he was returned to the shelter three times. Perhaps he has a secret identity and his status in some canine witness protection program has rendered him permanently paranoid. But, he is impossibly good looking, so there’s that.

Mingus and Miles are named for iconic jazz legends Charles Mingus and Miles Davis. Despite this, they remain musically inept – preferring the Bluey soundtrack to bebop.