He taught us the art of unqualified love. How to give it, how to accept it. Where there is that, most other pieces fall into place.

Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day.

A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated of illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not.

A dog is the greatest gift a parent can give a child. OK, a good education, then a dog.

In a dog's life, some plaster would fall, some cushions would open, some rugs would shred. Like any relationship, this one had its costs. They were costs we came to accept and balance against the joy and amusement and protection and companionship he gave us.

In a world of bosses, you are your own master

Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.