Quotes from W. Bruce Cameron

My purpose, my whole life, had been to love him and be with him, to make him happy. I didn't want to cause any unhappiness now—in that way, I decided it was probably better than he wasn't here to see this, though I missed him so much at that moment the ache of it was as bad as the strange pains in my belly.

The job of a good dog was ultimately to be with them, remaining by their sides no matter what course their lives might take. All I could do now was offer him comfort, the assurance that as he left this life he was not alone but rather was tended by the dog who loved him more than anything in the whole world.

I remembered the boy crying the day they buried Smokey in the yard, and I hoped he wouldn't cry over my death. My purpose, my whole life, had been to love him and be with him, to make him happy.

Humans were capable of so many amazing things, but too often they just sat making words, not doing anything.

I realized that today I truly understood my purpose as Ellie: not just to Find people but to save them.

I guess I had never bothered to consider that there might such a thing as a boy, but now that I had found one, I thought it was just about the most wonderful concept in the world. He smelled of mud and sugar and an animal I'd never scented before, and a faint meaty odor clung to his fingers, so I licked them.

As for me: I loyally remained right where I was, remembering the very first I had ever seen the boy and then just now, the very last time-and all the times in between. The deep aching grief I knew I would feel would come soon enough, but at that moment mostly what I felt was peace, secure in the knowledge that by living my life the way I had, everything had come down to this moment. I had fulfilled my purpose.

As I sat in the sun on the wooden dock that jutted out into the pond, I knew this to be true: my name was Buddy, and I was a good dog.

Dog' is 'God' spelled backward; you know that. That's why you're here, to help the nuns do God's work.

All I could do now was offer him comfort, the assurance that as he left this life he was not alone but rather was tended by the dog who loved him more than anything in the whole world.

For the next several minutes nothing much happened, biscuit wise.

Some people just don't appreciate having a dog around. It's sad to think there are people like that. I knew Gloria was that way—maybe that's why she could never be truly happy.

We would drive to Canada, where it would probably be legal for us to get married- it was Canada where they let people do whatever they wanted because it was too cold to bother stopping them.

Human motivation is unfathomable to dogs, so I wasn't sure why the two of us were separated, but I knew that when the time came, Ethan would Find me.

This was, I decided, my purpose as a dog, to comfort the boy whenever he needed me. Sometimes

That's the lesson of the dogs, that it's important to both live in the moment and then go on to the next wonderful thing.

But humans drive the cars and decide when dogs eat and where dogs live and clearly this was something else in their power - they could find their dogs when they needed them.

I wondered briefly if cats also came back after death, then dismissed the thought because as far as I had ever been able to tell, cats do not have a purpose.

I will miss you, doodle dog," Ethan said to me.

Humans are so much more complex than dogs, with such a broad range of feelings—though there were many times I missed the Yard, for the most part I was now living a far richer life, even though I often didn't know what was going on.

When she sat on the couch I jumped up to be with her and I put my head in her lap. I could feel some of the tension and sadness leave her. I was giving Mom comfort. This was more important than going for walks, more important than helping feed the cats—it was the most important job I had. I knew I should sit with Mom for as long as she needed me.

I had fulfilled my purpose.

I knew, though, that life was never that easy, that instead of doors being opened for you, to get anywhere, you had to jump over fences.

People are vastly more complicated than dogs and served a much more important purpose. The job of a good dog was ultimately to be with them, remaining by their sides no matter what course their lives may take. All I could do now was offer him comfort, the assurance that as he left this life he was not alone but rather tended by the dog who loved him more than anything in the whole world.