Many of you know that Anne and I love dogs (cats, too, but that is a story for a different time). At one time there were six roaming around our house. But time takes it toll, and we were down to one dog. Bentley is a cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Chihuahua, all legs and scruffy fur. Bentley also weighs in at almost 8 pounds.

I have loved all the dogs, but Bruiser holds a special place in my heart. A giant Rottweiler, he was as good natured a dog as one could hope for. He guarded the front door, but once you were inside you became a lifelong friend to him.

I love Bentley, but I was missing having a big dog in the house. Evidently, my moping about was pretty obvious because Anne started looking at Rottweiler rescue sites. She also sent a text to a local friend who works with the no-kill shelters, connecting dogs and new owners. Within minutes of Anne sending the text we had a lead on a Rottweiler. She was a little too big and active for her older owners. We drove out to Mathis and drove home with Kyla.

Kyla is about 2/3rds the size of Bruiser, but at 90 pounds she is still plenty of dog. She is seven, but thinks she is two. She also thinks she is (or should be) a lap dog.

On a Sunday night, two weeks after we brought her home, she started pacing. We knew something was up and decided she needed to go to the emergency vet clinic. She was diagnosed with Gastric dilatation-volvulus-torsion syndrome. In lay terms, her stomach had rolled over, cutting off the blood supply to her stomach and intestines. Without surgery she would die. The surgery started at 12:45am and finished up at 2:00am. The surgery was successful and she is back to being her goofy self.

Chris Glaser is the ghost-writer for Calvin the Dog. In the book "Unleashed," Calvin observes, " Recently a scientific report claimed "definitively" that we dogs are descended from wolves.... But I refuse to believe that I evolved from such a wild creature as a wolf-I'm much too refined for that."

"Rather, I believe that I and other dogs were created by God and made in God's image. We are God's mirror reflection. That's why God backwards spells dog. Isn't that one of the first things you English-speaking humans notice, the spelling thing? And who else but God loves as unconditionally as a dog? We don't care who you humans are or what you humans do, as long as you take some time to be with us, praise us, worship us, and do our bidding occasionally. Isn't that godlike? Even when you treat us badly or forget we're around, the minute you turn about and give us the attention we deserve, we lick your faces and give you comfort. Isn't that divine?" (Unleashed: The Wit and Wisdom of Calvin the Dog, translated by Chris Glasser. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press. 1998. Page 23.)