Late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Howie, our foster dog. He had been diagnosed with kidney failure just one month prior, and after a very good week, things went bad on Tuesday night, and showed no signs of getting better, with him starting to lose function in his right hind leg. He could not settle and was obviously incredibly uncomfortable.

And yet, it was still an incredibly difficult decision to make. Though he had been with us only fourteen short months, Howie had found a place in our home and our hearts.

The Westminster Kennel Club dog show was held earlier this week. An Affenpinscher took Best in Show. They are cute little dogs, but little is the operative word, as they usually weigh under 13lbs. (We occasionally dog sit a Brussels Griffon, which is a lot like a Affenpinscher, and I’m constantly afraid I’ll step on him.)

I was thrilled that a Smooth Fox Terrier took Best in Group for the Terriers (and a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier took second). This is because, like most people, I am biased toward my dogs, and my Larry is most likely a Smooth Fox mix.