Gone To The Dogs...: Puppies

It doesn't matter who you are or what your day has been like, puppies will make you smile. They will love you with such abandon and want nothing more from you than a little attention. Puppies are happiness.
There are 5 puppies at the kennel. They are all from the same litter and are now about 6 months old. These puppies are no longer sleepy, tiny little things; they are wild, jump-in-your-face, attention hounds. And I love it! As soon as I walk up the pathway, they start howling and jumping in their kennel. When I open the gate, they are all over me, licking my arms, winding through my legs, and otherwise making it impossible for me to do anything but pay attention to them. They follow me through the chores, constantly seeking a pet. If they're lucky, I'll put down the water bucket and rub their stomachs (it happens a lot).
The five puppies are already very different in their personalities. There are 4 males and 1 female. They don't have names yet, but I have secretly begun calling them by names of Roman gods...Zeus is the biggest male and he's just fine exploring the outlying land. Athena is the little girl and she loves sticking to my knees. Apollo is the most adventurous male; he'll say hello to every dog in the kennel. Ares also really likes attention; usually that involves pushing his sister out of the way. Bacchus is a fool; he just runs around trying to jump on top of his siblings.