I worked 23 years as a certified high school and college math and social studies teacher, who enjoyed working with young people, but I have always had an affinity for all types of animals, especially dogs and cats. I have had two cats - Critter and Korky, each of whom used to sneak up and sleep on top of me after I ha fallen asleep. I have had four dogs - Bonnie, Shades, Gibby, and Luna. Bonnie, a border collie that I named after my grandma, was my right hand dog during my teenage years and she would follow me anywhere. Gibby probably pulled at my heartstrings harder than any of the pets I had, because she one time watched me and my niece, Kirsti, who was about four years old at the time, sliding down a slide in a neighborhood park several times and doing a lot of laughing, then suddenly cut in front of Kirsti and started climbing the steps of the ladder behind me. I was scared and a bit shocked, because Gibby was so small (maybe 10 pounds) and there were about 10 steps on the ladder and he really couldn’t grip the metal steps at all. Kirsti waited patiently behind him, then he got to the top and slid down with no assistance. I waited at the bottom for him and gave him a big hug. He was so excited that he followed me up and down the slide several more times. It was one of the best memories of my life and myself, my niece, and Kirsti’s mother and my youngest sister, Micki, still share that story with others on a regular basis. I have numerous stories about my Siamese cat Korky, which was an extraordinary cat, who I had as a baby and passed away back in the summer of 2011.