I have had a Shih Tzu named Suzi for nearly eleven years. It began as a gift to my daughter and eventually migrated to my house when she moved out at eighteen, college bound, and settled into her own townhouse. I had the large house with a back yard and, therefore, qualified for instant pet adoption status. Not that it was any different than it had been before. She had whined and cajoled for a dog and promised to take care of it. She was eleven at the time and very responsible, according to her own self-evaluation. So we caved in and bought the puppy. And she was really good about taking care of Suzi for the first few minutes or so until Family Ties came on tv that afternoon. I reluctantly took over the feeding and bathing chores. Luckily, we had the foresight to install a doggy door, which substituted for walks. But I still ended up walking her when the weather was good.

I love most animals and Suzi was no exception. We