I bought a black labrador puppy in 2010. Having grown up in a house full of dogs, I knew what to expect from a four-legged friend, but this was the first dog that ever truly belonged to me. She gave me endless fun for all of 13 years, and she passed away a little more than a fortnight ago. I’m still struggling to make sense of her absence.
In her declining years, she faded back from the day-to-day reality of my working life. She preferred to be left at home, and she would often choose to lie in a patch of sun beneath my office window. Bit by bit, she quietly became less of an active participant, and I learned to accommodate the changes as
