Byline: Alexandra Dell; Dell Lives In New York City.

My mother's new dog was a disobedient, aloof mutt. I learned to love him almost as much as she did.

The first time I met my mother's new dog, I found him curled up in my childhood bed, his paws hidden among the layers of lace on my white duvet cover, his snout resting on my matching pillows. I crawled into bed next to him, thinking I was being generous by sharing, but he curled his lips and growled at me. "That's Carmel's bed now," my mom said, pointing me toward the guest room.

Later I saw that the photos on my mom's desk of my twin sister and me had been replaced by framed shots of Carmel, posing with a ball ...