Walter - our new puppy - shivered with fear standing on the examining table. She was at the Veterinary clinic to get her puppy shots. As Dr. D checked out every inch of her little puppy body a puzzled look spread across his face. Dr. D turned and gazed at me with a puzzled look. "Sir, you do realize Walter is a female, right?" Duh. Long pause. "Yes, Doc. I know Walter is a girl dog. She's named after our son's friend's Teddy Bear, Walter." Long silence. "Oh." Dr. D didn't seem to think Walter being a girl dog [READ MORE]

Bud and Priscilla Shaftoe's car pulled into the driveway one night around dusk. "You guys want a dog?" Bud asked, smiling a mischievous smile. "Um, no!" "It's just a puppy," said Bud, "from a litter born to some friend of ours. They say if we can't give it away, well...ya know..." Yeah, we knew what "ya know" meant. Bud was suggesting the pup would have to be put down. It was a guilt trip in the making. "Well, that's really sad," I said, "but no, we don't want a dog. We have cats. Try someone else." "We've tried [READ MORE]