Baby Vol

Orange. In Wisconsin we called the color "blaze" and loved it for its ability to keep us safe during hunting season, but in Knoxville you might as well just refer to it as "team spirit," given that orange and white are the University of Tennessee's colors.

Contrary to what the darkest naysayers suggested as we prepared to move to the city, we haven't grown tired of (blaze) orange. That particular bright orange conveys so much meaning in Knoxville and almost none of it references shooting four-legged creatures while drinking beer. No matter. It's a color we know and love.

In fact, our youngest and smallest poodle, Sassy, has long been a fan of blaze orange. In honor of her ability to wear orange so well, we've dubbed her Baby Vol:

All decked out in her quilted coat and rubber galoshes.

FYI: December snow sucks.

Baby Vol rising.

Her favorite Vol-inspired t-shirt.

She's very tiny when standing next to her human dad.

Getting a Baby Vol to stand still for photos is tough.

Maybe there's a treat in it for me?

Nope? Forget it, I'm out of here!