When mom came home from the hospital, I met her at the door and did my 'Welcome Home Dance' for her. Daddy kept telling me not to jump up on her. But who could NOT jump for joy? Mommy was home and boy, did I miss her.

As for her Royal Smugness, Emma, she of the tight a$$, did manage to squeeze out a tiny smile and wagged her tail a couple times. That's the most emotion I've seen from her since we killed our last rabbit in the back yard jungle this summer.

I told her that it was our job to help mom get better. That meant we had to keep a close watch over her, and always stay near enough so that we could pass along The Healing Touch of the Terrier to her.

For those of you who are not familiar with the 'Terrier Touch' as it's most commonly called, it is a belief, passed on from years or Terrier lore that underscores the fact that people feel better after rubbing, petting, holding a dog - preferably a terrier. In order to accomplish this, we must sit close by our people so that our bodies touch them, making ourselves more accessible.

For the first few days, we were inseparable.