At work, I’m subscribed to an e-mail distribution group called “dogs@amazon.com”, a list dedicated to anyone interested in dogs. And today, I read an e-mail that broke my heart. A fellow Amazonian just had their second child and they are now giving away their 3 year old Labrador because they can no longer give it the attention that it deserves.

I cannot stomach the idea of letting go of either of my dogs — Metric and Mushroom. To me, they are permanent members of my family, my pack.  Metric joined my world 6 years ago, when I picked her up from a backyard breeder in Austin Texas; Mushroom joined us about 4.5 years ago, when Mushroom was pretty much spending most of her days in a crate at my mom’s house.

Anyways, I’m looking forward to having them around for a long long time. In fact, I cannot wait for them to welcome another member to my pack in September, when my wife and I are expecting our first child.