There is nothing quite so peaceful, so heartwarming, as watching your dog run unrestrained across a field, a tongue-lolling doggy grin stretched across her face. Her golden-oak fur is a testament to her breed, the color of treated wood and sunny days and all the treasure of Montezuma, the sun-dappled coat a perfect complement to the green grass she pounds underneath her feet.

And you, dressed in autumn-appropriate garb, are content to lag behind, to be left in her dust as she races ahead to sniff every corner of the ground and make it hers — though she is not; she races towards you, a stick in her mouth and a playful growl in her throat, message clear: Play with me, play with me. Well, then, who are you to refuse? A laugh, a tug, a throw, and she is off, like a thunderbolt, a hunter after her prey; then rinse and repeat, until she plops, happily exhausted, on the grass. A quick power nap is all she needs, and then she'll back in action.

It really is no wonder, you think, that dogs are human's best friend. In the sometimes juggle of life, how can a person ever get through the day without the warm comfort of a dog snuggling against her side, or the excited race around the house they do when their human comes home? In a world of sometimes stressful moments between school and work and friends and family, your dog's unbridled joy at being in the outside, and her childlike needs and nature which wrenches from you both annoyance and affection, is a constant. She will always be, no matter how many years pass, your puppy, your child, your friend.

You walk towards her, and she, too tired to rise, merely thumps her tail. You laugh and bend down to pet her, pleased at her show of affection.

No wonder, indeed.