Those who have decided to grow old should plan ahead. Money alone is not enough. For almost 70 years, the author has known what it feels like to be loved by dogs. "It is the most reliable and enduring affection a person can have," he says at the beginning of his book. He does not devalue human relationships in any way, but acknowledges that they are always subject to fluctuations. Dogs do not fluctuate. One day, he discovers Grassy on the internet. He is described as a sweet, calm old dog who has spent his entire life (12 years) with his owner, who now lives in a nursing home. And now, the dog is to be sent away to an uncertain fate. The nearby animal shelter is expecting dogs from Spain, Grassy's home country, in the coming days. Would Grassy be able to go with them? "No," says a friend who works as an animal caretaker, "he hardly has a chance.".