Today, February 6th, 2007 is my first morning without my dear little Ollie. He passed away just 25 hours ago. Yesterday morning came early, and with a jolt, first at 2:45 a.m. and then again at 5. Five am in the winter is a sinister hour, dark with a biting chill and virtually lifeless. I couldn’t help but reflect on this thought as I drove to the pet emergency clinic in the predawn hours of yesterday.

I slept late this morning, well, late for me, up at 7:10 even though I went to bed early last night. My body must have needed it because yesterday was an incredibly draining day.

Welcome to the Dog Star Daily! This is indeed an auspicious date to launch into a new era of The Digital Age of Dog, because the world’s very first puppy class was taught 25 years ago today. It was the beginning of a new and progressive era in dog training and we are proud to begin DSD on this very special anniversary. This month the concept of creating a class specifically for young pups who are still at their most impressionable and that is designed to teach the necessary skills for pet dogs, is 25 years old!

When the time came for me to select my first new puppy in many years I proceeded slowly and carefully and put a lot of thought into it. Choosing a new dog to be your companion is a big decision, and as someone who works with animal shelters and their resident animals I have seen so many pairings gone awry. I know it is important to really think about lifestyle and expectations before getting a dog; and then there is lots of research to do to find the dog the will be the best match.

It was 4 pm on a sun-drenched autumn day. The sun had begun it’s descent, making the temperature perfect for a four-mile trek in the Northern California hills. The dusky sky was ripening into a mottled rosy-violet curtain that would gradually darken to a deep blueberry hue. Flecks of silver stars dotted the atmosphere and a sliver of silvery moon was making an early appearance on the horizon.

I just bought my fifth copy of a book called Tails of Devotion. Why, you may ask, do I need five copies of the same book? Do I keep losing it? Am I daft? No and no.

As I write this I am listening to the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean crash onto a rocky beach. Palm leaves are rustling in the Plumeria-scented air and occasionally monkeys swing by high in the thorny trees.

I am in lush and lovely Costa Rica, and while I am thoroughly enjoying the tropical climate, gorgeous flora and fauna, laidback atmosphere, and as much plantains, beans, rice, and guacamole as I can eat (heaven!) – I am still slightly unsettled.

I feel off-kilter and unmoored. Something is missing. I am dog-less.

It has been a while since I’ve reported on the dogs of Costa Rica and it’s because I couldn’t bear to sit at the computer while in such a gorgeous place.   Instead, I spent my days enjoying the atmosphere and trying to savor every detail, making notes on a hotel message pad in order to remember as much as possible about my brief stay.

On my routine evening strolls along one of the most gorgeous beaches I have seen in my life, I watched the typical sunset “scene” and pondered the life of the dogs that lived and played in this quaint little surfer town.