Dogs are often part of the family

As I havewritten  before, I grew up always having dogs around. Both my parents had been raised with the dogs as an integral part of the household, so it was natural to follow that pattern. When they married on Christmas Day 1935, Dad immediately acquired their first dog, Rex, a white Collie with sizable black and caramel spots. When I arrived on Mother’s Day 1937, there was that great dog that looked after me as a big brother might. When I began to walk, there was Rex. He hung around until I was 11 and a crotchety, animal-hating neighbor put out poison around his yard and that was the end of Rex. 

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