Today I was standing in Ace Hardware, waiting for someone to retrieve two cases of half-pint canning jars, when I felt a sudden wet sensation on my right ankle. I jumped at the quarter-sized sensation, and I nearly kicked the cute little dachshund that had ambled up to lick my foot. Startled, the little dog scampered behind a counter where it hid from me the rest of the time I was in the store.