Puppy perfection, he was. All 11 pounds of him for his first visit to the vet. A chocolate lab as adorable as they come, with green eyes and a mouth full of teeth like little needles.

On the way home from picking him up he fell asleep with my finger in that sharp little mouth, those green eyes slowly sliding shut. On Thursday, Aug. 6, those eyes, now brown, closed for the final time.

After losing our black lab India in January 2007, I made my grief no secret, and voiced to acquaintances including ...