David, I loved your essay. I miss my dog so much, she is the sweetest thing in the world. My dog also, "He speaks and even brushes his teeth, that is, if you want to count eating toothpaste as brushing his teeth." She likes to sit on top of the toilet and wait for me to give her alittle squirt of toothpaste (she is a minature schanauzer) When you said," will never leave me like my wife did" I was surprised. You were married? You are so young. Wow. I did notice in this sentence: "All of these sections of nature work as a unit a unit to make this world go round, not as separate entities," you repeat "a unit," you need to edit it one of those out. I enjoyed your essay, it makes me all warm inside.