The Kane family had always felt complete with their three children—Eleanor (ten), Benjamin (eight), and Sophia (six)—but something had been missing.

A dog.

The kids had been asking for years.

“Mom, please—Rowie had Scout and Puck growing up!” Eleanor pleaded, eyes wide with the kind of hope only a ten-year-old can muster.

“Dad, a dog could come to games!” Benjamin added, clutching his toy stethoscope as if the argument needed medical backing.

Sophia, the youngest, simply ...