It all started with a dog named Katy...
Well, actually it all started with a dog named Sammy, whom I affectionately christened "Tammy"...what? I was like 3!! Anyhow, I'm starting with the story of Katy because I don't remember much about Sammy; except that he was part Beagle/part shepherd and tragically got hit by a car when he was fairly young.
   I'll never forget the arrival of Katy!  Our neighbors, who lived down the street came by with a cardboard box, and told us their dog had just had puppies. I peeked over the edge of the box and met the eyes of the most adorable golden retriever I had ever seen, right then and there my six-year old little heart fell in love! My mom wanted to take her right away and with four pleading children, my dad didn't have much choice. I'm the one who came up with the the name "Katy", from a book my mom read to me named "What Katy did". We spent the next few weeks loving our new puppy; romping out in the yard, feeding her and teaching her where to "do her business". When we watched Reading Rainbow in the afternoons, she'd sit on our laps and gnaw contentedly on our hands or one of her chew toys. When my parents added water to her food, we wanted it in our cereal  too so we could be JUST like Katy! Even the kids that my mom watched during the day, fell in love with Katy and some of them even remember her now. I could picture her being with our family for ten or more years, growing old and curling up on a dog bed when she grew stiff.
Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. My youngest brother began having severe asthma attacks and the doctors quickly decided that it was allergies to the dog. Katy had to go to another family, the news hit us kids hard! My dad chose me to be the one the drive with him to the shelter, so we could say "goodbye". As we stood in the parking lot, after bringing our precious puppy in, the tears began to flow. My dad knelt down tenderly and said "it's ok hunny...I'm crying too." I didn't believe him; dad's DON'T cry! So he took off his sunglasses and there were tears on his face. So we hugged, brought together in this tragic moment we'd remember as long as we remembered this puppy who had touched our lives.