We didn't have a family dog when my daughters were little. For most of their early years, we lived in a rental house that didn't allow dogs, so our first family dog, Moses, didn't join the family until the girls were all over 10 years old. We did, though, have a couple cats and tried owning—but quickly ended the relationships with—fish, a hamster, and a couple parakeets.

Cats and the other creatures don't bond with kids quite the way dogs do. Having missed out on witnessing my baby or toddler daughters bond with a beloved canine, I'm continually delighted to see such with my grandsons and their dog.

Roxy was Megan and Preston's baby long before Bubby and Baby Mac came along, and despite having to relinquish her spot as most loved and adored to first one then another human kiddo, Roxy has always been a patient, dedicated, attentive, gentle, and entertaining buddy to the boys.

You couldn't ask for a better family dog.

I'm sure that Bubby and Baby Mac couldn't imagine their home without goofy girl Roxy.

In all honesty, I couldn't either.

Today's question:

What dogs—or other creatures, if no dogs—hold a prominent spot in your family's story?

As I walked the dogs yesterday morning, I saw through the trees ahead a buck of substantial size. I often see deer along that road, but rarely bucks. Each time I see deer (or fox, sometimes even squirrels, birds, butterflies. leaves blowing across the road) it's a struggle to keep the dogs—Mickey in particular—under control. So I swiftly crossed the dogs to the other side of the road in hopes they wouldn't notice it as we passed it by.

Naturally, that's right when Mickey saw the buck...and the second it was bounding to meet up with. I tugged the yelping dogs in line and did my best to keep moving along.

"I can tell from that yelp that your dogs have seen the buck," said a gentleman—refined and eerily akin to 60-year-old Anderson Cooper—as he stepped from behind a bush. A bush he'd been working near, plucking weeds from his yard, not a bush he'd been lurking behind for unknown nefarious reasons. I think.

Me: Yeah, he certainly did.

Gentleman (clearly in awe): Five-by-five there.

Me (thinking WTH? Size? Must have to do with size): Oh yeah? It is big. I've not seen one that large yet this year.

Gentleman: I haven't either, but those are two five-by-fives and one four-by-three.

Me (using my infinite conversational skills): Three? Wow! I only saw two.

Gentleman: Oh yeah, there's three.

Me (pulling on dog leashes and itching to move along): Wow!

Gentleman (slowly shaking his head in disgust): Yeah, two five-by-fives. And I'm a bow-hunter and there ain't nothing I can do about it.

Me (in pseudo similar disgust): Yeah, you gotta just wave as they go on by.

Gentleman (in resignation): Ha...Yeah...

Me: Well, you have a good day.

Gentleman: You, too.