The Love of a Dog

Our dog doesn’t bark. Well, she rarely does, anyway. Only when she sees a raccoon, a coyote, a deer, or some other wild creature. It’s not that she’s shy or anything. I think it has something to do with the fact that she’s a rescue dog. We got her when she was five, and there was more than one indication that she was abused. And that might be central to her infrequent barking and some other behaviors.

Sadly, our dog is getting old. She has trouble walking and she often acts confused (doggy dementia?). We know that we are approaching that point where we’ll have to decide whether or not it’s time to take the dreaded next step and to put her to rest.

It’s a heart-wrenching decision because she has been a big part of our lives since we rescued her ten years ago. We know that she…