Our aging friends
I was prompted by the recent pictures of 13 or so year old dogs to post this picture of Chewbakka. He tore ligaments in a rear leg when he was, had 3 operations, recovered, and did the same thing again last year, when he was 12. I thought he would not walk again, but he did.
Chewbakka died last week, really of old age. He was up and around one day and the next day didn't want to eat. The next day he was gone. He had a lot of ***** and was a great friend. He loved to stay with in the "shed" (as we called my workshop) as i worked on cars.
Because they have such brief lives, our furry companions make us feel immortal. We see their wobbly steps first as puppies and then again in their old age, and that causes us pain. But that pain is a small price to pay for the joy they bring and the lessons – unconditional love, loyalty, gratitude for the gift of each day, the pleasure of simple things like walks after a rain, strength, and dignity – they teach. We must take in that new puppy, even as we dread we might outlive it again, if only to repay the love given us by the generations of dogs that have gone before.