The love of a dog is often misinterpreted, I think. We want to believe that dogs think the way we think, because that is what we do. I think it’s more complex than that. A dog’s love for people is an ancient thing. They have served, guided and protected us beyond memory. More and more, I am growing into the notion of dogs as spirits, that enter our lives at a given point and time and then leave us to move on with our lives.

Maria was the dog she needed when she got her, a barrier against the world, a source of safety and comfort and love. Now, she has evolved, the dog Maria needs now, a dog who enters a household with another human, and three other dogs and finds a way to  live comfortably and peaceably with them. Because it is not like human love, it is pure, powerful. I don’t want my dogs to be like me. I think it’s the differences that make me love them.