DECISIONS

To me, decisions are one of the most difficult parts of life. We have 2 of the sweetest dogs ever in our back yard. Golden Retrievers...with some Chow blood in them. The mother is 15; the daughter, Jelly Bean, is 13. Last summer JB started having strokes. We tried to head off the heat stroke this year by getting her "summer do" in April. But the hair has grown back...and she is too shaky to stand for grooming...and temps are consistently hitting triple digits. JB has started wobbling again, thankfully not as badly as before. I'm wondering if it's time to let her go. The part that worries me even more than letting her go is what will become of her 15 year old mother, Taffy. She won't know what to do all alone in the back yard. And...of course...the wobbles started right after dear sweet hubby left town.

So, for now, I'm going out every 30 minutes and pouring water over JB. She is covered in mud, but that's ok. DShubby will be back tonight. Tomorrow he and I are going to get "wild and crazy" with the scissors and get rid of some of that hair. I bought cippers a few years back, but they aren't strong enough for her coat.

Anyway, think of us as we try to decide when enough is enough...and what constitutes "quality of life" for the dogs. They still have each other...JB is still eating just fine...and walking around--not overly steady, but she gets where she wants to go. I have spent years feeling guilty that they weren't allowed to be house dogs because they are so loving, but my allergies just wouldn't allow it. So now I guess I'll shift gears and feel guilty about whatever I choose to do concerning JB.

Pets bring an amazing amount of love to a family. Unconditional love. It's the end that's so difficult.