1. I can say no and mean it—my husband, not so much.

2. There’s no such thing as waterproof.

3. It’s okay to eat the same thing two days in a row. Even three or four.

4. Being cuddled and licked by an animal that delights in eating and/ or rolling in deer poop, goose poop, vomit, slugs, garbage, otter poop (the worst), strengthens your immune system.

5. Sharing is overrated. He who hogs the back seat and steals all the toys will be forgiven come suppertime when she who eats like a shark gets to clean up his bowl and the floor and his face.

6. Contrary to what I believe before stepping outside, I do like walking in rain, snowstorms and howling gales.

7. Merely thinking about going out sets off a chain reaction in the air that dogs pick up on.

8. Deer need to be chased.

9. Mud, grit and the volume of those things cedar trees spit out are inversely proportional to the amount of time you spend cleaning the floor.

10. Being cheap will come back and bite you. Cost of training a dog not to pull on the leash X 2= $600. Cost of replacing lost diamond and repairing wrenched settings in engagement ring= $822.40.

11. To have the perfect dog you need to make one up, as I did with George in The Fishers of Paradise. George is that dog you’ve always dreamed of: walks at heel, never pulls on the leash (what leash?), never gets lippy with other dogs (what other dogs?). Mind you, he does run off with a rabbit head (or two), and his loyalty can be called into question on a couple of key occasions. Come to think of it, he sleeps on the couch and he jumps up at Aidan and knocks him over. Okay, forget it. Even made up dogs aren’t perfect. But isn’t that part of why we love them?