I've requested quotes from dog moving companies. When she said the part that RIF quoted, it sounded like her voice was cracking. I told her I'd get her the dog. I then asked how long her brother would be staying with her. She said maybe until he finishes high school, she already got a bike for him and a futon. I asked if she knew anyone else with kids his age, since Sierra Vista is a dangerous town for a kid with no friends to be wandering around in. She said it couldn't be much worse than Houston. I asked how her dad was doing, and she said she didn't know, and the doctors didn't know anything. Then she quickly said she had to go, and to let her know about the dog.

I felt like I kept my cool pretty well throughout, but my own LB took a vicious beating. I'd just as soon she have the dog, even though I love him very much, so I don't have him reminding me of her for the next 10 years.