We lost our dog a few weeks ago. She was nearly 15 years old, and so had a long and happy life with us. We all grieved, but I have learned that the best way to keep the wife and kids happy is to jump right back into the canine saddle. (The many emails and texts with links to pictures of dogs at the local shelter may have been a clue…)

Last weekend, the college boy came home and we trekked to the shelter to pick out a new companion, a four-month-old lab/husky mix which we have named Teddy. Teddy is a 28-pound bundle of fur, energy, and urine, and I haven’t had to pay so much undivided attention to a member of this household since the kids were at the crawling stage. At least the kids wore diapers…..

The wife and kids have a few more weeks of school, so if you deal with me in “real life” over the next month, be patient. I’m probably cleaning up dog pee, throwing a ball, or going for a walk. And mostly loving every minute of it. Mostly.