While I threaten to come back to real blogging, let me direct you to Orac's recent post on the loss of their family dog, Echo - the dog who ate corn off the cob (YouTube evidence therein).
Orac is a great writer but a lot of you know him mostly from his expertise in cancer medicine and in decrying all kids of pseudoscience. He may also seem on the surface to be a tough, unflappable medical professional, as one might expect from any high-powered academic surgeon.
However, I've had the pleasure of getting to know Orac personally and will divulge that he is really a sweetheart of a guy. And as you will see from his post, he is a fabulous writer regardless of the genre.
For those of you who understand how a dog can become a "person of fur," you will recognize the depth of the loss being experienced by Orac and his wife. I offer them the condolences of the Pharmboy family and the hope that their honor and memory of Echo bring them comfort.