I've met wonderful people through dog obedience training and just walking my dog around the neighborhood. For the 10 years that I owned a Doberman who loved to run, I took long walks in the woods. Have never done that before or since. It was a wonder to watch him explore and learn things about finding and following trails from him.

I love to watch my dogs pure exuberance. Every walk is as wonderful as the first walk -- even if we just took this same walk this morning. New smells, new sights. A dog is so fully in the now.

Because I had wonderful friends in the doggie world, when I had my breakdown, my dogs were almost instantly given homes. One had a dysfunctional behavior that would be enough to get most dogs put down -- chewing doorframes when she gets terrified in thunder storms, unless she has a companion. She now lives in a home with 2 cats and people who say: What's a doorframe compared with the love of a dog. They are thrilled by all the obedience commands she knows, as they never had an obedience trained dog before.

Pets or any other passionate interest are truly a gateway past our fears into relationships with other people. I guess we can say that our love for our pets "conquers all" as love is said to do.

So Gray Goose, take each hurdle in your own sweet time. And kiss those pets on the nose for me.