Spanky is my dog, she’s been in the family for 8 years and her enthusiasm for my crossing the threshold has never faltered. I could be gone for 20 seconds to take out the garbage or gone for 2 days on a business trip and she is always so pumped to welcome me home.

She does the same for everyone in the family but has little nuances for each person based on known preferences. My husband, James, loves it when she jumps on him. She’s a little Scottie/Westie breed so she doesn’t reach much past his knees but she paws at him and stretches as far as she can while he scratches her belly, encouraging her. For me, she sits patiently at my feet, tail wagging so hard her whole body shakes while her tail swipes the floor, back and forth.

This small gesture brings me so much joy that it’s a noticeable void when it doesn’t happen. Whenever I am away from home and arrive back at my hotel room I have a tiny pang at how unwelcome I feel before I recognize it’s because Spanky is not there to greet me.

And I distinctly remember the time I came home and she wasn’t at the door. I searched the whole house calling her name, only to find out that she was out on a walk with my Mom and nephew. I think that time it was my tail wagging to greet her coming home.