Happy Birthday Ollie

Today is Ollie's 17th birthday.


Although she's got bad cataracts and can't hear, her appetite is good and on her good days she enjoys a walk.
When I took her as a puppy to visit the vet for the first time, I asked Dr. Rose how long she might live. He said, "She might live as long as 20 years." At the time I thought he was being optimistic. But today it's entirely possible. Our vet here however tells us that people should not wait until the dog is suffering pysically to consider euthanasia. Dogs are very social animals and when they become blind and deaf they retreat into themselves and suffer in ways humans don't really understand. I do see this on occassion. She will snap at you when you reach out to pet her because she can't recognize what's going on. Many days she will stay in her room and not come out except to look for food. It must be very lonely for her in many ways. But she's led a long and wonderful life and has given our family a lot of love and fun times.