He liked to be near. Looking into his dark eyes, I felt love without a doubt. I knew what he needed without words. We had an understanding. Archie was our family’s companion dog. He died unexpectedly, at age nine and a half. I didn’t expect to be so gutted. I’d never been a dog person. There were dogs in my younger life, but they were outside, home security, or they were housed in the laundry, kept separate, maintaining a firm hierarchy with “man” as master.