Maggie in Venice

ABOVE: Girls from an elementary school in Venice make friends with Maggie.

Like most dogs of her breed, Maggie gets along with children--which is a good thing, since shaggy dogs are magnets for children's pats and hugs.

The 3-, 4-, and 6-year-old siblings in the apartment across the hall love Maggie, who happily returns their affection. And when Cheryl and Maggie encountered schoolchildren having recess in our campiello a few days ago, Maggie was delighted to be surrounded by a bevy of young female fans.