I found, when I became a teenager, that my dogs were great listeners, My pups were privy to the latest in school gossip, the gushings about the fella I thought I'd marry, and always offered a furry shoulder to cry into, especially after the death of my father.
Extreme love and heroism was exhibited by these animals, and bonds were unbreakable, as demonstrated between my father and his German Shepherd, Snowball. I documented the latter, and the story was published in Chicken Soup for the Dog's Lover's Soul ("Some Snowballs Don't Melt"). I was humbled and honored when a few years later, publishers from Chicken Soup asked permission to re-print the story in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Wisdom of Dads. Here is a link to the story, published in a CS newsletter.
http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/30802/11-some-snowballs-don-t-melt