I had to leave Snowball for a couple hours the other day to run a few errands and, when I got back, he went on for a bit with his howling and barking. At first I was nervous that he was hurt or something, but then I realized he was just mouthing off to me.

I had never had a pound dog before so I was a little nervous, but I figured, let me take a ride and see what they have. Originally I was going down there to see the beagle [Cooper] but he was already gone by the time I got there. A woman there [Amanda Paterson, one of the animal control officers at the West Warwick Animal Shelter] introduced me to Snowball instead.

Snowball is just the opposite. He always wants to be inside. He does love to ride in the car, though.

He is so big you'd think he would be clumsy or a pain, but he is not. This is what he likes to do all day long.

Having Snowball gives me someone to take care of again.

My baked lemon chicken and pork chops with sauerkraut are popular as is the pies. Every day we bake six to eight pies including cake and brownies.