My babies!

I had to post this photo of a Papillion puppy because I LOVE it and it reminds me of my Max when he was little. :) He's 9 years old now (Happy Birthday Max!) but he's still fetching and causing trouble, so we're happy he's active and healthy!

BJ, our 12.5 year old Labrador is not so active. The poor guy has trouble getting around and it's getting more difficult by the day. We're helping him get up stairs and providing beds and supplements for him, but he's 80 pounds and...well...getting old. He went to a holistic vet recently to discuss acupuncture and other options for his inability to use his back legs. He is taking supplements, like vitamin c and e and we're debating if acupunture would help him at this point. (maybe!!)

I used to look at BJ and see this shiny, healthy, (over)active, invincible black Labrador. He is now tired and inactive and does not turn heads anymore, but we remember everything about his past and think he's still the best looking Lab around! I took him on many trips but never the traditional hunting and fetching ducks like one may imagine for a Labrador. I often wondered if he would have been luckier to have a more "outdoorsy" owner who, perhaps, liked to game bird hunt. Well, seeing BJ now and all that we are happily doing for him, I know for a fact that he'd not want to be anywhere else. He may never have retrieved a dead pheasant, but he was there with us while we rescued two pheasant chicks. BJ seemed to have no interest in them other than as his new temporary roommates! He has been an amazing companion for us for 12.5 years and we're hoping that somehow, despite his downslide, we will have lots more time with him still. No regrets.

So Happy 9th Birthday to Max, and we will soon be celebrating BJ's 13th birthday too! :) Lucky us!