Sophie has made several laugh-like noises in recent days. Last night, Sophie was sitting on my lap. Andy came home and, as usual, Tucker came running and gave Andy a boisterous greeting. Tucker licked Andy on the face and Sophie, who was watching intently, laughed. Tucker did it again and she laughed. And again. In some ways I so very much wish I had caught it on film but in other ways it was so spontaneous and unrehearsed that I was just happy to be caught up in the moment.
Although Tucker hasn’t received as much attention as he may have in the past, we keep reminding him how much he’ll love to run around the yard and house with Sophie when she’s older.
“The dogs in our lives, the dogs we come to love and who (we fervently believe) love us in return, offer more than fidelity, consolation, and companionship. They offer comedy, irony, wit, and a wealth of anecdotes, the “shaggy dog stories” and “stupid pet tricks” that are commonplace pleasures of life. They offer, if we are wise enough or simple enough to take it, a model for what it means to give your heart with little thought of return. Both powerfully imaginary and comfortingly real, dogs act as mirrors for our own beliefs about what would constitute a truly humane society. Perhaps it is not too late for them to teach us some new tricks.” —Marjorie Garber
