Red, the rocket dog

Who says long legs make for the best runners? Barely off the ground, he's across the park and back within a few blurry seconds. That's Red. A miniature pinscher-dachshund mix, he's not especially lean, not particularly leggy, but not to be underestimated when it comes to speed. He zooms past me, darting at the bird in the far tree, and an instant later he's back investigating the noise coming through the other side of the fence. Red's owner is in the hospital, and with no one to take care of him during this time, we give him the closest thing we can here to a home. And he gives me something too: a pretty good workout during our spirited games of chase. You can guess who wins.