Poppy is a Maremma Sheepdog. The breed is from the Abruzzo region of Italy to the south of Rome. Poppy, however, is from Minnesota. She's not an avatar and her purpose with us is one of the more curious stories of dog acquistion that will be told in the next book.
As a puppy, Poppy was drop-dead cute.
POPPY
Here, she does her imitation of a seal puppy.
SOME DOGS ARE ANGELS