My Dog is Cuter Than Yours

Everyone thinks their own dog is the cutest in the world, but I have actual proof that Autumn is the cutest.

Autumn is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a very long name for a small dog. This breed is a little less common in the U.S., especially compared to all the Labs that everyone has. When we visited France last fall, we saw one in the port town of Honfleur and got really excited and took a picture of it—even though it was kind of a scraggly, unkempt specimen. Then we found out that they're all over the place there. You'd think King Charles was the king of France, not England.

Autumn's Epic Haircut

Autumn is a good house dog, despite all her shedding. She's quiet and trains well, but tends to snore while sleeping on the floor next to our bed. She's small enough to not be too annoying in the house, and just big enough to go running with me—as long as we don't go too far. It's amazing how loyal she is when jogging up to Elephant Rock, a popular mountain trail near our house. It's a steep 3.5 mile (5.6 km) climb to the rock that starts at about 5,200 feet (1,600 m) elevation. With her short legs, she struggles a little, especially on the fast run back down. But she never gives up, and loves to wade in the stream at the bottom.

So here’s my proof that she’s cuter than your dog. Last month, she and I went on a short jog around the University of Utah campus. As we came around the basketball arena, the entire Red Rocks gymnastics team had just emerged from a bus. This is a group of very nice-looking and very athletic young ladies that are currently ranked one of the top teams in the U.S.—and Autumn and I inadvertently ended up right in the middle of them.

They immediately went bonkers for Autumn.

“Aww!”

“How cute!”

“Adorable!”

"Cuuuuute!"

They couldn’t get enough of her. Autumn and I eventually emerged from our adoring fans and another college-aged guy happened to be standing there. He turned around to see what the girls were fawning over and only saw me—a skinny, middle-aged, balding dude.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I always have this affect on the ladies.”

Can you find Autumn?

Autumn at Bryce Canyon National Park