The Nanny Has Paws
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Dogs
By Courtney McKinney-Whitaker

For me, a house or an apartment becomes a home when you add one set of four legs, a happy tail, and that indescribable measure of love that we call a dog.
~Roger Caras

When I was growing up, my family joked that we had a dog for a nanny, just like Wendy, John, and Michael Darling in Peter Pan. Wherever my brother and I went, our huge Newfoundland/black Lab mix wasn't far behind. She was a gentle giant who let us dress her up in hats and blankets, use her broad side as a pillow while we watched television, and sneak her the food we didn't want off our plates.

My parents said that they could tell which neighborhood friend's house we were visiting because the dog was always sitting in their front yard. Having walked us there, she waited patiently to walk us home. Such large dogs often don't live past ten years or so, but she was with us for sixteen years. She passed away a week after my little brother graduated from high school, having hung on through years of declining health until both of her children were grown. (Keep reading)