The Chair He Bought, The Dog They Tried to Take, and the Choice

sharpened like knives. “It concerns my father’s safety.”

I felt something in my chest crack.

Michael turned to me again, softer—but still firm.

“Dad,” he said, “you can visit him. There are programs. Dogs come by. Therapy dogs. Whatever. But you cannot bring a sixty-pound shedding dog into a facility with people who fall. People with allergies. People continue reading …