"Yeah, she hit a growth spurt not long ago," Cricket gives a lopsided grin and scratches behind his pet's ears.

He seems a little surprised by the 'sir', but doesn't object, offering her a handshake. "Pleasure to meet you, too, Wendla. Tell you what, let's get you somethin' from a restaurant and then we can see about a place for you to stay while you're here."

It appears to take a lot of upper body strength for him to pull himself up onto Willie's back, where he sits side-saddle like a lady on horseback. Once he's there, though, the pup makes so bold as to nudge her head against Wendla's arm for pets.