Regarding sad tales of lost pets.
Our son has a black Labrador, no relation to other dark canines sadly seen here, quite charming in fact.
You may recall that we have 'dog sat' for him in the past when they have been on holiday. Because of a change of circumstance for our son and the strange shift patterns he now has to work, the dog lives with us at least half of the time. The dog adapts well and we love having him. However, given that he is already nearly 12 years old, I am trying hard not to become too attached to him. It is difficult.