Buddy....

As most of you know, Buddy is nearing 13 years old. That's elderly in dog years. Over the past year, we've noticed some changes in him, some obvious, some not.

He's got big bumps on his body, which we had checked out in April. They were all determined to be fatty tissue. He's not hearing or seeing so well anymore. With that, it means he's not following commands very well. He's also very irritable with the kids. He sleeps most of the time. His favorite parts of the day are breakfast and lunch!

Well today, he was by the fridge and started walking toward the table. As he was walking, he was urinating. He just kept walking and urinating around the table toward the family room. We were yelling at him (he couldn't hear us) to stop and go outside, but he just walked right by the sliding glass door. It was if he didn't have any idea he was doing it.

We called a veterinarian and he has an appointment tomorrow. Luckily, a friend referred us to this group and they are supposed to be kind hearted.

We're really at a loss right now. I hope this is just a small bump in the road and maybe he has a small infection that can be treated.

He's been with us since May of 1998. We've been through a lot together. He's been our best friend, our companion, our protector - I hope we have been worthy of all that he has given us. We made him wear Halloween costumes (the devil was my favorite), booties when it was cold - yes, he was embarrassed, and tried to teach him how to get us a pop from the fridge. He was even in a calendar once - did you know that?

He's been a great dog and I just pray that we have a little more time with him. I can't imagine what our lives would be without him. He's family.