Is there anything more loving than a wonderful family dog? That dog who comforts, plays, and instinctively knows who needs him? That dog that romps with the kids outside and then crashes on the couch when they go to bed. That dog that is overjoyed every time someone comes home, and gets a little depressed when they all leave for college. That dog that ran off with the neighbors dog and cat… just like the movie… and was found on a country road filthy and covered in mud and burs… but oh so happy. He had an adventure!

That dog that as soon as he hears dad close the garage door in the morning jumps on the bed to snuggle up next to mom. That dog that could calm down the aggressive stray in the front yard and circle the dog, herding it away from the house.. without fighting. That dog that literally rolled his eyes at me when I was singing too loud in the kitchen. That dog that stared me down like I’d lost my mind when my daughter brought the class hamster home for the holiday weekend, and then proceeded to sleep in her room every night keeping guard over her. The dog that never met a stranger and learned to just bark once if he wanted out or in… otherwise never barked. The dog that while training him and reading the “Puppy Preschool” training book … was really the best training I had as a parent.

This dog lived through ALL of the hard things, the happy times, and the changing seasons. It was hard to see him decline, even harder to see him when he had his last stroke… and we knew this time he wouldn’t recover. So we had to let go of sweet Harry. But what an incredible dog, what a gift…. to EVERYONE who met him. And I’m just now able to write about it. But that experience with Harry, well, when the stress of COVID and shutdowns, and all of the negativity in the world seemed to be just overwhelming…. We thought let’s get a puppy! Maybe two!! We need a little more “Harry” in our lives! OH my word…. Let’s put that story on hold… and just reflect a moment on how grateful we are for having had Harry !!