Ellie showed up as a passenger, along with 11 other puppies, riding in the way back of a gray, mid-’80s Volvo 240 station wagon. It was a humid day in August. She and her siblings rode in from Waldoboro, Maine.
Aside from loud exhaust noises, the car was a solid runner with very little rust, a rolling Swedish example of longevity and steadfast reliability. The driver and puppy owner, a sturdy, middle-aged Mainer, personified the same traits. She looked precisely like she had sounded when we talked on the phone a few days prior.
