He wasn’t the most courageous of dogs. Nor, it must be said, was [he] very bright. But he was loyal beyond measure and knew what mattered. Din-din, walks, balls. But most of all, his family. His heart filled his chest and ran to the end of his tail and the very tips of his considerable ears. It filled his head, squeezing out his brain. But [the dog] … while not particularly clever was the smartest creature [his owner] knew. Everything he knew he knew by heart.

—LOUISE PENNY, Bury Your Dead:
A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel