Hunter J. Marcus (my "four-legged son") lived for 15 years and three months. He was a golden retriever and the typical lifespan for a "golden" is 10-12 years, so he definitely had high mileage. His death was not sudden, violent nor unexpected--but was nonetheless tragic. I could not be more miserable because of the loss of a human child. I never thought of Hunter as a pet, and certainly not as a possession. He was a housemate, child, co-conspirator, fellow traveler, playmate and--most of all--my best buddy. He soared like an eagle, swam like a porpoise, ate like a shark and often thought like a human. Hunter understood dozens of English words and was very obedient--when he chose to be. Golden retrievers are very smart, and very independent. Hunter knew exactly what he was supposed to do in any situation--and sometimes he was willing to do what he was supposed to do. We rewarded bad behavior because anything a dog does is cute!