What I'm Trying to Learn from my Dog

Daisy is an eight-year-old Golden Lab whom I declare the best dog in the world ever (move over Marley, and even my childhood pooch, Spottie). She is noble, compassionate, wise, devoted and gentle (though rambunctious when young). She has served as a watchdog, baby sitter, friend and source of happiness for nearly a decade. But she is getting old. She now has arthritis and has trouble lifting herself up to go outside. She has infections in both ears and her mouth that seem antibiotic resistant. The vet says she is in terrible pain. She is on new, sterner antibiotics, prednisone and special diet food. But Daisy never complains and rarely cries out in pain. She is always happy to see any of us, and the tail goes flapping. An iota of a treat, a piece of muffin or whatever, delights her. She gently paws at any one of us when she needs a hug or pat or affection. She likes to like by the gas stove in the back room where it's warm during these wretched Arctic days. No one goes unscathed, true, and we tend to bewail our fates -- as I have been lately because my lower back is out again. I too, in the past, have been on prednisone to stop inflamation in the lower back. But Daisy never complains, attempts to carry on as usual; she never fails in her loyalty, she never snaps or snarls, she never seems in a bad mood, though sometimes it's obvious she's hurting and maybe sad. And that is precisely what I hope to learn and put into practice from my beautiful, wise and wonderful dog, Daisy. God bless Daisy