When we adopted Alice 2 years ago, she was 9 but still very much an active dog. She got into everything that wasn't nailed down (M&Ms, fish food, the trash, anything food-related) pulled at her leash on walks, barked whenever the mood struck her and did nothing to clue strangers in about her age. Since then, she's lost weight (in a good way), been diagnosed with a hypothyroid condition and had pneumonia twice. But in my mind, she's still spry and healthy, ready to make sure I've Alice-proofed the house. And in a lot of ways, she is.

In other ways, she's not.

Our most recent vet trip revealed overall good health, but something weird going on with her legs, there's a calcium deposit on the inside of her knees that may or may not mean something. And today, what I presume was urine was leaking from her nether regions, though she barked on and on as if it was in fact, something else.

It seems like a good time to recall what Ellie taught me: every day you have with someone you love is a gift. You'd better enjoy it.