Megan did this to herself. She knew going into the holiday season that it was going to be hell on earth, but without anybody to go home to at the end of the day, staying at the nursing home and working some extra shifts seemed like the best option—at least she wouldn’t be alone. She stepped through the kitchen door and kicked her sneakers off into the basket in the entryway. Immediately, she went to the bathroom, cranked on the hot water, and stripped out of her scrubs. Worki

Since early in our marriage, my husband and I considered getting a dog, but we couldn’t agree on what kind we wanted. My husband has a soft spot for Golden Retrievers, but I prefer German Shepherds. In the spring of 2021, I learned that a friend of my sister-in-law was expecting a litter of Golden Shepherd puppies—the mother dog was a Golden Retriever, and the father was a German Shepherd. A mix between the two seemed like the ideal compromise.  Unfortunately, our living situ

When I sit to write, I’m distracted.  Right now, Bear (my 100-pound golden shepherd) is lying on the couch with his head in my lap....

I grew up in a three-dog household. My dad trained Nelly, our first dog—a purebread yellow Labrador retriever. The other two, Nikki and...

Nelly I remember bringing home our first family dog, Nelly. She was an eight-week-old yellow lab puppy. My brother and I were so excited...