About halfway through the movie, Nyxie climbed across the couch, and curled her 70 lb body into the crook of my own. I was lying on my side, head propped on some pillows and legs curled forward. She wanted to spoon with me! There wasn't a ton of space, but this is where she wanted to be. I slowed my breathing and made more room for her, aware of the unspoken closeness with such a wonderful creature. It's not rare for her to cuddle with me, but I never take these moments for granted. They're the ones that really count.
Some time later, Matt opened the freezer, breaking the spell. The freezer opening is the great Ice Bell - no matter where the dogs are, they come bounding into the kitchen for an ice cube. (And with that, they have conditioned us to offer them an ice cube each time - they are wonderful trainers!)
After the movie, Matt observed that there wasn't a single dog in the movie.
He laughed, "People wouldn't live anywhere where there weren't any dogs..."
Indeed.
