A Boy and His Dog

My youngest son was 8 or 9, and he was deep in thought as just the two of us were driving. It was one of those moments when a parent knows a deep conversation is about to start.

"Dad?" he began. Here it comes.

"Did you know Mom was allergic to dogs when you married her?"

I think he wanted to make sure that he had the whole allergy thing clarified before he settled on a girl himself. How do you tell an 8-year-old that pet allergies, among other considerations, sort of go out the window when you fall in love.

So, Diane and I knew the boy would get a dog pretty soon after leaving home. We didn't figure it would only be a month.

Here's Stephen's new dog, which he got from David Crowder (yes, that David Crowder). He is negotiating mightily with the landlord regarding the "no pets" part of the apartment lease: