The Gifts Animals Can Give

As an only child until 11 years old, I had many lonely hours to fill. Whenever a dog lost his way or found himself without shelter, he would follow me home from school or from the park. It didn't seem polite to refuse a lost animal a meal and a warm place to sleep for the night. But one night usually turned into two, and sometimes three. Just as we were beginning to be friends, just as I was growing accustomed to being greeted at the steps when I returned from school, with the wag of a tail, someone in the apartment would complain. Someone would tell the landlord. The story was always the same. I would return home from school and my companion, my delightful pal would be gone. But I kept bringing strays home. A lonely day was never quite as empty with a dog's nose nuzzling against my knee, begging for attention. "Some day I'm going to have as many animals as I want," I promised myself. Years later, when that some day arrived, I did. And now I would like to bring them into your life, as they came into mine.