This may be a short-lived blog...maybe not..and hope not. As I was getting ready for bed tonight, walking through the living room, I saw Daphne lying in front of the wood stove. I knelt down and stroked the side of her head and she wagged her tail until it banged loudly on the floor. I was struck by my recent resistance to acknowledging her decline.

Last week, I created a comfortable place for her in the kitchen where her incontinence would not wreak havoc on my wood floors. Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night and whines until I come to help her move into an easier position.

Daphne is a Lab/Sharpei mix...It's hard to recall, but I think her birthday is in the Spring and I believe the year is 1997.So, she's 16? (Barb could tell me for sure.) She's the whim of my youngest daughter, Barbara...a $10 puppy. She is the offspring of a random romance between a fine yellow lab and a roaming Sharpei.

The arthritis is progressing and her back legs act kind of like flippers. Mobility is severely restricted. She can still stand on all fours, but slips easily if the surface is smooth. She's on fish oil supplements and Rimadyl. She still eats well...I think dinner is the highlight of her day. She wags her tail and has some spunk if one of my other dogs harasses her. Recently, someone on Facebook responded to a post about her issues; he said that if I would not want to live the way she lives that maybe it's time. It may be time soon...but it's not an easy call.