"We aren't house proud. If we were, we wouldn't abide the scratches on the door frame, the holes in the screen, the darkened shine of worn spots on the chair. We would wince at the mottled carpet and fret at the hair clinging to our clothes. We don't. If anything, we lovers of dogs are a tolerant lot, finding greater value in the unabashed affection of our friend than immaculate sofas. Shoes can be replaced, but heroic retrievers are timeless. Without dogs, our homes are cold receptacles for things. Dogs make a fire warmer with their curled presence. They wake us, greet us, protect us, and ultimately carve a place in our hearts and in our history. On reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all too short lives of our dogs."