I can't wait to meet Virginia

Malcolm has a best friend - an Australian Shepherd named Virginia. She's about the same size, age, and energy level as Malcolm, which makes them a really good match. Her parents are also good friends of ours, and it's nice when both families get along so well. Virginia's parents arrived in Japan in August of 2016, but Virginia didn't join them until December. After meeting her mom and learning about Virginia, I predicted that she and Malcolm would be great buds and I'm pleased to say that I was absolutely right.

So happy!

Ready to go!

Heart shaped snuggles

Bedtime

Virginia lives off base, but in the same town our housing detachment is in (Zushi). So, she's close by for play dates and dog-sitting swaps, both of which we do frequently. We've established a pretty liberal policy for each dog to stay with the other family when needed, so you'll often find Malcolm at her house or Virginia at ours and we meet up at the dog park even more.

This afternoon, anxiously waiting for Blake to throw the ball already. Their eyes are my favorite part.

When they are together, there is a lot of Puppy Wrestlemania and tug of war over toys. They pal around and sniff things together and just have an undeniable bond that none of us have really enjoyed with other dogs before.

Of course, when Malcolm is at Virginia's house, I hope he's behaving himself and doing well. It turns out he is an excellent bug hunter (Virginia couldn't be bothered) and helps keep an eye on Virginia's human baby brother. He also has developed a keen ability to find lost pacifiers. Giving them up is a different story.

At Virginia's house, watching Virginia's mom and the baby

At our house, Virginia is also well-behaved and we are glad for Malcolm to have such a good buddy. They keep each other entertained and active.

Found this photo today of Malcolm freaked out at the airport while make final arrangements for our flight to Japan. I don't blame him, but I think things have worked out okay since.

Virginia is spending the Thanksgiving holiday with us, and if Malcolm is grateful for anything this year, I'm sure his best friend is on the list.

Hanging out while their moms have lunch