Longing for a dog

(Dogs 13)
As I remember the dogs we have had, the scene now changes, and I am looking into the big brown eyes of Vica.  She was Skip's dog, a fine German Shepherd from a breeder in Milwaukee.  He had been longing for a dog for years -- a strong dog that would be his own -- and there was always some reason for putting him off.  At length here he was in the hospital for a minor operation, and Lorin and I were there, too, visiting him.  "What can we do for you, Skip?"