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Tom Thurston, who grew up in Massachusetts, never understood why his family didn’t let him have a pet. His family jokes that he made up for it in an expensive way. Today, Tom who lives in Oak Creek, Colorado owns 36 dogs. Why dogs and not, for instance, lots of cats? Tom says he admires a dog’s loyalty, kindness and persistence. “You can be the worst person, a crook, a drunk, a murderer, and a dog will stay with you as long as you take care...

Peg Kehret might be our generation’s version of Dr. Doolittle. The best-selling children’s author, who lives in the shadow of Mt. Rainier, shares her home with a dog who is deaf and two cats, one of which is blind. She uses hand signals to communicate with her dog Lucy, and she’s careful to leave a clear path for Mr. Stray to navigate sightlessly but safely between bed, food, and litter box. Her other cat, Dillon, sits on a certain...