My dog Tucker is over 13 years old now. I have had him since he was a four month old puppy. I still remember the very first time I saw him. I walked around the corner and all I could see was his huge upright ears. Every time that another dog came over to say hello, Tucker would growl at them as if to say, "hands off, she's mine". And I knew we were meant for each other. My ex-husband had just abruptly left me and I knew I had to have a Corgi puppy immediately. It was the kind of decision that you know you shouldn't make, that you should 'sit with it for awhile'. But I needed him more than he needed me. And he became the center of my life. I used to call him 'divorce dog'.We have had many adventures together. We went to France for three months, lived in several houses. The first time he met Josh he practically tried to climb inside Josh's chest, which I thought was a good sign. And he is not dead or gone. But a coupe of weeks ago he suddenly lost the use of his left leg and then his right. We have seen specialists and it looks like he will continue in this vein for as long as he remains with us. And luckily he is not in any pain right now. But it feels like a winding down, like the near ending of a story. I cannot imagine him being gone from my life. But it is also hard to watch him struggling. I only want him to be comfortable and as happy as possible in this stage of his life. I want him to leave us with no pain and no regrets. I want him to utter his last growl saying, "hands off, she's mine".
