The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

The saying goes that "a dog is a man's best friend." That was definitely the case for me with my Siberian Husky, Tara. She was born on April 14th of 2001, was all white, with blue eyes, weighed in at 45 lbs. during her middle years, before reaching 60 lbs. in her later ones. She never barked, but liked to talk, as huskies have a tendency to do. She had a great amount of energy. There were times we'd go in the backyard, would line up across from one another as if we were about to square off playing football. She'd get into the play position - with her head down, eyes looking straight at me, butt up in the air, and tail wagging. Then once I said, "hike," she ran around the yard like a cheetah, I'd give a half-hearted effort of chasing her, before she finally stopped by my side for some attention, and then would get back into the play position for another round of fun. This high energy was great for both of us, as after I moved to Ohio from Nebraska and...