Felicity had to go through hours of plastic surgery after her face was mutilated by four puppies that exhibited littermate syndrome. The family didn't know what this was until the accident.
photo: John Cuneo
A couple of years ago, my husband and I lost two of our three dogs within months of each other and swore that we needed a lot of time to pass. Zeno, a Bulgarian shepherd, had filled the yard with his large body and deep baritone bark. He was always on patrol and threatened by nothing; snakes and possums and raccoons were all commonplace catches. If coyotes yipped, his loud response silenced them. And yet, he could also catch a songbird in his big soft mouth and then gently place it down where he could study its terrified little body until one of us distracted him while the other lifted the relieved bird to a safe spot. Rufus, a red border collie and probably the most soulful and intelligent dog either of us has ever known and we’ve both known quite a few was nearly human, his eyes seeming to read our thoughts, his loyalty unflinching.