We don’t have a dog or any other animal at the moment. Our lifestyle makes caring for a four-legged friend a little difficult. I get my dog fix every Sunday morning at the South Pearl Street Farmer’s Market where there are oodles of dogs and their Millennial owners parading them. I mean really a lot! The photo above is “Sugar”, the first dog in my family when I was a boy.

Sugar was a very loving and mellow dog adored by everyone in the family. We took him on all of our many picnics in the Oakland Hills. I remember one picnic when my mom and dad packed everything up and we drove down the road toward home. My mom said, “Where’s Sugar?” We drove back and found him sitting expectantly by the picnic table. Such a sweetie!

Our next dog was “Henry” a beautiful beagle. This was one of my very earliest shots of Henry and my brother when I first got into photography.

Henry just loved chasing rabbits and howling under the dining table when we all sang “Happy Birthday” for a family member!

“Lance” was the first family dog for Marla and me. Little did we understand just how large this wonderful Great Pyrenees puppy would become! He loved to chase Lisa in the backyard and nip at her diapers.

Stacy and Lance experienced love at first sight! If she fell asleep on him, as she often did, he didn’t move until she woke up

Lance was very protective of Stacy as she played.

I told Stacy, “Lance might not like what you are doing!” She replied…”Him don’t talk.”

The Girls helped celebrate one of his birthdays.

I just LOVE this photo of Stacy and Lance.

Stacy and Stan’s “Haywood” was just a fantastic white lab especially as he got older. He is protecting baby Vaughan.

He really loved Vaughan and Owen, and guarded the twins until his passing!

Marla and I always took Haywood on walks on our babysitting trips to Dallas.

“Daisy” is their new lab and she is a beauty!

The Girls take a walk during last Thanksgiving Holiday.

Marla and Stacy walk with Daisy in Prather Park in Dallas.

Daisy is a sweetheart and loves everyone in the family…especially if you play ball with her. She is lovingly obsessive about it.

On a trip to Edinburgh Scotland we met my nephew Steven and wife Karen’s beautiful Greyhound. They both love these dogs and have adopted another retired greyhound. I was surprised to find how loving and sensitive Greyhounds are.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.