Rick and I were hanging out in the spring sunshine this morning on the patio of the Moonside Bakery and had the good fortune to meet Diesel, the 5-year old 100-lb. Rottweiler. The encounter once again confirmed my theory that some of the best people watching at restaurants happens from the knees down.

I have a somewhat traumatic history with substantial guard dogs, so I made sure I didn’t have any bear claw crumbs on my face before I went over to say hi.

As it turns out, the most threatening thing about Diesel was his doggie breath. He’s a real sweetie.

Most restaurant patio dogs are.

Oh sure, some of them aren’t hap-hap-happy about being there, but then, they probably aren’t happy about being anywhere.

I’ve seen a few who are patio pooches by virtue of a little wet weather and the ubiquitous North American “no dogs allowed inside” policy.

Poor sturdy little soggy pooch. His face reminded me of one of my cousins.

The ones who get to inquire at table side about dining options seem to get the most fun out of the outings.

Others enjoy a more privileged seating assignment.

For this charmer, it was enough just to have the chance to sit in the sun and show off the new bling.

The biggest bang for the bark comes, though, when restaurant dogs appear to groove on the chance to meet new friends.

Some friendships get off to an astounding level of intimacy right off the bat.

See? This is why I checked my face this morning for crumbs.