Nov 27 – Day 27
I’ve got two great big, loving dogs – Raider, a 100 pound
yellow Lab and Sylus, a 95 pound black Lab – that greet me each day. We got
Raider a few months after our 13-year old Golden Retriever died. He was a
papered AKC pup we purchased here in Tucson who, it turned out had a very
severe case of hip dysplasia. Sylus was a pound pup by son and his then
girlfriend picked up when they lived in Flagstaff and through their break-up a
few years later, ended up in Marshall’s custody and finally in my home as my
son was moving and finding his way.
Well, these boys are getting along in years – Ray is 10
and Sy…..well, I’d say 11 or so. Along with the obvious whitening of the facial
hair and a general slowing down, comes a few other issues known for older dogs.
Fatty tumors. Ray has one over each front leg joint and they’re starting to
change the way he walks. Sy has been luckier and just has a small one. I can’t
bear to think of the day when one or both are no longer here.
These boys are my constant companions and follow me
throughout the house. They both sleep with me, my home is covered in dog hair,
they (Sy actually, Raider is typically silent) bark out in the backyard too
much in the mornings as coyotes start moving about and the neighborhood starts
to wake up, and my life is so enriched because of them. I’m so thankful for
these two and the happiness and love they exhibit every single day. Even though they’re old…they cost me a lot of
money in vet bills and prescriptions….they shed constantly….they smell and fart….they
beg….they get in my way. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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