I have to confess, our chosen names for Oscar's stuffed animals have not been very original. There's Cat, Mouse, Cheetah, Bunny, Blanket Bunny, Owl and Doggie. I first saw Doggie lying in a pile of identical doggies in a bin at Ikea. I was struck by it's similarity with our golden retriever, Maggie (we are slightly better at naming live animals than stuffed ones). Doggie was the first gift I bought our unborn son and Oscar has slept with Doggie almost every night since he was born. Doggie has worn many hats including substitute pillow, road trip companion, chaser of nightmares, puppet, protector and creator of laughs. In the process, a mass-produced toy from a big box store has been transformed into a beloved provider of comfort.