Over the years, quite a few dogs have passed through my life. Lady, my cocker-spaniel/retriever mix, was with me for eighteen years. I found her – or more accurately – she found me while I was working at a small animal shelter just outside town. One look into those big, brown eyes and I was hooked. Other dogs, like Missy, a wire-haired beagle and daschund mix, were mine to keep for only a few months before they found their permanent homes.