Taco will tear your head off

Small but ferocious, Taco the Chihuahua doesn't want any pets from strangers. But he does love his own people, including his dark-eyed girl.

Duke of Lydonville

Upstairs at the Lyndonville Freighthouse in Lydonville, Vermont you will find an electric train set-up and a 13-year-old retired border collie by the name of Duke. After many years of herding cattle, Duke now spends his days asleep outside his master's office.

Maude, sad-eyed southern belle

While traveling in South Carolina, Maude's owner read an article about an abandoned dog and her pups, got sad, contacted the people from the paper, and returned to New York with a golden-eyed puppy: part Rhodesian Ridgeback, part Basset hound (hence sad eyes), part... gingerbread?

happy to be fluffy

Emma and Brody

toddler and dog locked in to-the-death who-is-cuter battle

Presenting Boris and his baby Kyra.

radiating jack russell

aged boxer

waiting outside City Bakery

breakfast on West 20th

Clover

This stand at the greenmarket sells only vegetables, yet Clover was in heaven, wriggling around, hoping someone was going to give her...what? An eggplant? Get a hold of yourself, Clover.

cute 'n dangerous

Sugar looks very much like a strange make-believe hybrid anime creature who should by all rights be sooo cuddly and talk in a high baby voice and have a personality that matches her cotton candy fluff fur and moniker but Sugar is the most aggressive dog I have encountered so far. She is not messing around. Sugar would just as soon rip your hand off as look at you with her giant inky black dewdrop eyes. Seriously.

Maxie, cheesedog

I don't know that Bouvier de Flandres were specifically bred to guard goat cheese, but that is what you can find Maxie doing twice weekly at the Patches of Star goat cheese stall at the Union Square greenmarket.

Bedford Avenue bulldogs

autumn sweater

It must be so cozy being a Samoyed in November. But probably a little warmish in August.

Buddy and his short, fat brother

Buddy could not be sweeter. His owner described him as "very old and very smart" and his brother the Chihuahua (whose ear you can see behind Buddy's head, and who revealed himself with much mystery for a brief moment in the dusk) as "very fat."

Cute dog, grumpy owner

Muttropolitan Diarist: Do you mind if I take a picture of your dog?
Tall, Striking, Glamorous, possibly Swedish lady: WHAT?
MD: "Is it OK if I take a picture of your dog?"
TSGPSL: (grumpily): OK, but don't TOUCH him!
MD: Alright already.

Black Socks, Upper East Side

Pity you can't see that all four of his (built-in) socks are black and knee-high.

Marathon Marmaduke

A big dog for a big race.