Our choice of pets says a lot about who we are … and we are all very different. There are cat people; there are dog people; there are bird people; there are reptile people and on and on. The famlly pet can mark a child’s development for better or worse, but if a dog or cat lives out the full term of its life, it is a part of that family for 12 or 14 or 19 years. These days most marriages don’t last that long. 

Growing up in the relative innocence of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, the Philipson family dog — a female basset named Hamlet — progressed through the same stages of life as we did — puppyhood, socialization, taking place in the family constellation, motherhood … death. She even accompanied us on our two-year Paris sojourn.

And since we find ourselves in France, let us heed the wisdom of Anatole France. “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” 

Music
"Gnossienne No. 1" - Satie
"(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window" - Patti Page
"(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window" - Patti Broussard
"I Ride an Old Paint" - Van Dyke Parks
"It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake Like That)" - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
"Little Boys Grow Up And Dogs Get Old" - Luke Bryan
"Mon Chien" - Claude Chichon
"Old Paint" - Linda Ronstadt
"Promenade (Walking the Dog)" - George Gerswhin

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