Growing up, the only mammals apart from the two-footed variety that populated our house were cats and rodents so when the question of “getting a dog” was broached by my own children, I would respond with an ambiguous “We’ll see”.  This answer seemed to be sufficient until 4 years ago when…. I succumbed to gentle but continuous pressure and the liquid, brown eyes of a furry mop up for adoption.  This year marks the first that we have been separated for any great length of time and though I didn’t think I would, I miss my troublemaker terribly – next year he will get a vacation, too!