“Just pick up the pieces, Honey.” Tears popped from his daughter’s eight-year-old eyes. Dad turned to Duke, a German Shephard, raising his voice in a scolding tone, “Boy, you know you are not to jump up and run every time the doorbell rings. Now look what you’ve done. You knocked over the card table and ruined Laura’s week-long work on her jig-saw puzzle.”

The dog cowered on the floor amidst the fallen puzzle pieces.  Dad continued, “That was a 1000-piece puzzle and had taken Laura almost a week to get it almost done. You’re a bad boy." 

Duke laying low on the floor, titled his head with a sorrowful look in his big brown eyes. “It’s okay, Dad,” Laura said, and went to Duke, picked up his head, gave him a kiss and said, “It’s alright, Dukie boy, I can start again.”

Duke licked her tears and nuzzled his head in her lap.