Kirby got into her share of mischief. She would nuzzle open the garbage pail with her nose—and on more than one occasion we came home to trash strewn around the house. There was the time we had a dessert buffet in the dining room. “Crash!” Kirby pulled off a seven-layer cake and plate of rugelach—which she inhaled before I could stop her. Chocolate is supposed to be bad for dogs; this one must have had a cast-iron stomach. She even managed to open the foyer closet, pull down the coats and pile them up. Most recently, to put it delicately, she started to use the downstairs as her restroom. We tried doggie diapers, but she pulled them off and chewed them up. What I would give now to clean up that mess one more time!

Through the years, we’ve had parakeets, gerbils, guppies, gold fish, cats — and Kirby. My wife, Sharyn, turned into the biggest pet lover. “There’s a hole in my heart,” she keeps saying. Some friends have commented, “How can you have a feeling for an animal?” They just don’t get it. Most people understand how we feel.

The entire family, three generations, gathered at the veterinarian’s office to visit her, sensing this would be the final time. Eight of us crowded into that small treatment room to stroke her head. Occasionally she managed to lift it, but only for a moment. I stared into her half-opened eyes and tried to talk to her. I hope she understood how much she was adored.

I took my usual walk –– alone — the day that she died. Every dog I passed along the way was a kick in the gut. “Where’s your partner?” regulars on the route asked me. I couldn’t bear to answer. Another neighbor and friend pulled over her car to express her sympathies. While we were talking, I felt the back of my hand getting wet. I quickly swiveled around. This had never happened before. A dog was licking it — a retriever. The owner apologized profusely. “Please — don’t,” I reassured her. Actually, I was glad it happened. Perhaps Kirby was telling me she was OK. Remember “Marley and Me”? Now there’s “Kussin and Kirby.” I fully understand why they call a dog “man’s best friend.”