Day 101: Man’s Best Friend

“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside a dog, it’s too dark to read.”
— Groucho Marx

Grover, me and Coco circa 2002

Our family has only had one dog, Grover. As many of you already know, we lost Grover last year. He had been with us for eleven years – and we got him from the Jackson County Animal Shelter. I always thought that we would get a puppy – maybe a black lab or something like that. But instead we took in Grover – a 3-year-old dog that had no intention of fetching anything – ever.

“You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, `My God, you’re RIGHT! I NEVER would’ve thought of that!'”
— Dave Barry

Depending on who you are, and where you live, dogs can be “pets” or dogs can be “family.” Our dog was definitely a part of our family. He seemed to be so grateful that we had chosen to take him home. The devotion he displayed towards me was unmatched – this dog knew that I had saved him from certain death.

“The more I know about people, the better I like my dog.”
— Mark Twain

Today, my friend Tom and his wife Kim were steeling themselves to say goodbye to their dog. He’d had a stroke earlier this week and his family knew that his time with them was over.

This morning I brought a warm Apple pie to Tom and Kim because I knew that they were sad that they were losing their dog Cole… and I know too well that losing a loved one is a very hard thing to do.

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.”
—Gilda Radner