Golden retrievers are not bred to be guard dogs, and considering the size of their hearts and their irrepressible joy in life, they are less likely to bite than to bark, less likely to bark than to lick a hand in greeting. In spite of their size, they think they are lap dogs, and in spite of being dogs, they think they are also human, and nearly every human they meet is judged to have the potential to be a boon companion who might, at many moment, cry, "Let's go!" and lead them on a great adventure.

There's lots of law these days, but not much justice.

A silent dark...as black as a moonless lake, as a ravine's wings, darkness there and nothing more, merely this and nothing more.

Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.

I survive by finding the sweet spot between reason and unreason, between the rational and irrational.

...I felt fear enter the halls of my mind, but I didn't give it the keys to every room.

We may lack riches, but the greatest fortune is what lies in our hearts.