Family mourns loss of true friend

A good pal died a few weeks ago. We had known each other for exactly 10 years. She sat by my feet as I tested and wrote the ideas for more than 500 newspaper columns. She was the only one of the "kids" not to demand much of my time and patience, and now sweet Hannah has gone to dog heaven.

As my brother John commented when our childhood dog George died, "Dogs have long been romanticized as 'man's best friend,' purveyors of what the psychologists call unconditional positive regard." He's right. I don't remember a time when Hannah wasn't glad to see me at the back door. Like George, she was like a "tail-wagging welcome mat."

A lean, brown-and-white English pointer, she was bred for hunting in wide-open spaces in places like Montana and Wyoming, not the narrow, sidewalk-lined streets of urban Minneapolis. But her missing back tooth was evidence of the abuse she suffered by her original owner. Rescued by the Humane Society a decade ago, she came from the country to live with us.

Our family tried to make up for the fact that her fate brought her to the city. So we ran her -- or rather, she ran us -- on daily 3-mile rounds of our nearby city lake. We had a routine we all knew by heart, particularly as we neared the home stretch. The 2.5-mile marker signaled the curve in the pathway toward a marshy area of the lake where the ducks and an occasional loon consistently taunted Hannah with their quacking and yapping. On cue, she would stop, instinctively point her tail upward and watch them with a steady gaze. A few moments would pass until she was satisfied, then she moved on. We only guessed that that daily shoreline ritual was her idea of the ultimate "treat."

Hannah didn't achieved "pointer" points for hunting as far as I know, wasn't entered in contests for the coveted "best in show," and she certainly didn't have the celebrity of Clifford, though she does appear for a fleeting second running alongside me in the opening segment of my PBS show, "Donna's Day." But crooked mouth and all, she was our family dog and as close to defining our home as burgers on the grill, laughter around the table and that feeling that you are unconditionally loved and accepted.

The Ericksons will miss you, Hannah . . . and so will the ducks.

Next week, a recipe for making Hannah's favorite dog biscuits.

Write Donna with your questions and ideas at www.donnasday.com. Donna's latest book, "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families," is available in bookstores nationwide. ? Donna Erickson. Dist. by King Features Syndicate

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