I miss my dog who died. Am I ready for another one?

So when I glimpsed the picture last week of the red hound rescue puppy with the floppy ears, my heart grew three sizes.

That night, the puppy and his brother, a sweetie with soulful dark eyes and a funny gait, visited our home. Their foster mom patiently answered all of our questions. It had been nearly two decades since we took in Memphis, and I had forgotten about the squirrelly energy of puppies, the sharpness of their tiny teeth. My husband and I are no longer young. Were we ready for this?

We learned that the red pup with the hazel eyes would be going to a family who apparently was just as smitten as we were.

His brother was available, but we were unsure. He had survived a deadly canine virus and was still experiencing the effects of rickets, a rare bone disease usually caused by a lack of vitamin D. With enough sunlight and a proper diet, this true underdog could overcome it and be 100% fine. Or he could suffer from early-onset arthritis and other ongoing ailments.

A vet we consulted through a friend said she could offer no prediction of the kind of life he’d lead. “Adopting him would be a leap of faith,” she said.

When I spoke to Dr. Jody Lulich last year, an author and University of Minnesota veterinarian, we tearfully talked about the perils of getting close to our pets. He reminded me that somehow, people do it over and over.