Maya--joyous, carefree sleeper

There's this French phrase you might run across in high-falutin' fiction or in a romance novel now and then: joie de la vie. Joy of  life.

This photo captures another expression: joie de sommeil. Joy of sleep.

And if this picture of Maya the dog doesn't perfectly express "Joy of Sleep," I don't know what lingo we'd need to capture the sensation. She's pure poetry.

The nomination for spotlighting in our weekly feature "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap" came from Robin and Greg Quintana. We first met them a year or so ago at the annual open house for the Dog Training Club of Dallas County.

When you take the time to get involved in training your dog, you've found a new level of dedication in the critter/human relationship. Two hearts leaping for joy after a performance -- that's what it amounts, too.

At any rate, Maya's a Border Collie -- those dogs live for life. And in this photo, Maya obviously sees sleeping as a big part of life and offers some body language that is pure poetry to those of us who only wish we could slip into a carefree slumber.

Robin writes, "We are truly blessed to be part of the 'Dog Lovers' World.' ... I took this picture the other night at 2 a.m. I caught Miss Maya, our 19-month-old Border Collie, sleeping in her dog sister's bed. They are all so precious and give us so much laughter and happiness. Please share so others can enjoy."

And there you have it: a shared photo with, no doubt, some shared smiles.

(To nominate your dog, cat, emu, goat, toad, parrot or passed-out in-law for "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap," e-mail the photo or photos and information about the animal and yourself to dallrp@aol.com. Remember, at Readlarrypowell.com, we believe a good slumber is not within our reach, but we are proud to honor those who can sleep, nap, doze off, slumber, saw logs or snooze. You lucky snoring ducks.)