You can tell a lot about a man by how he treats his dogs.

For many years, I enjoyed living with my dogs, Tilly and Chance. Their _ 21 _ was nearly enough to keep my loneliness at bay. Nearly. Last year, I started dating, but with _ 22 _ . When I first dated Steve, I _ 23 _ he had a dog, Molly, and a cat, Flora. While I was _ 24 _ that he was an animal lover, I _ 25 _ that three dogs were perhaps too many, and my dogs might attack _ 26 _ , the cat.

The next week we _ 27 _ our dogs together. It was a hot day. When we paused to catch our _ 28 _ , Steve got down on one knee. Was he proposing (求婚)? I liked him too, but so _ 29 _ ? He poured water from a bottle into his hand and offered it to my dogs. _ 30 _ , I began to fall for him.

We _ 31 _ to date, though neither of us brought up the future. And then in late November, Tilly had an operation on her _ 32 _ . I took the dogs out four times a day, and I worried that Tilly _ 33 _ climbing the stairs could reopen the wound. Then Steve _ 34 _ his house. All worked _ 35 _ . The three dogs formed a pack that, with coaching, _ 36 _ Flora’s space; Steve and I formed a good team _ 37 _ for Tilly. We made good housemates.

A year later, much to my _ 38 _ , this man produced a little box with a ring and proposed to me. He did not kneel (跪) down, nor did I _ 39 _ him to. That’s only for giving _ 40 _ to the dogs that brought us together.