Dog days of September

This made it as a note in my notebook today, but it's a funny story worth mentioning. Let me set the scene:

Reporters were filing into the Sun locker room following their 85-73 loss to San Antonio, and I and Courant reporter, Lori Riley, approached Asjha Jones because 1) she just scored 22 points, is well-spoken and is one of the Sun's locker room leaders, and 2) when someone has a puppy in their lap, you have to go up and pet it. Tori, Jones' four-month-old puggle (that's half pug, half beagle and here's a good representation), has been making a lot of appearances around the Sun lately and has an unofficial babysitter in Danielle Page. Tamika Raymond even joked she had become the team's mascot. And as usual, Tori was also getting a lot of attention before Jones starting speaking, including from WNBA president Donna Orender, who was in the locker room speaking to players.

Tori was licking Orender's hand when suddenly Orender said, 'Ow!' and pulled back. "She bit me."

Jones, jokingly of course, looked down at Tori said in a motherly voice, "Good girl, Tori."

"Good girl?" Orender asked, laughing. "She bit me."

Someone who had joined the group around Jones made the comment that puppy's are naturally biters, Orender went to speak to someone else and that generally was the end of it.

But it's worth mentioning that Orender had ruffled some feathers back in late June when following the Sun's loss to Phoenix, she visited Diana Taurasi in the visitor's locker room but never made it over to the Sun. I'm sure Tori won't stop her from coming back.