Brandy Turns 8!

Tomorrow is my dog Brandy's birthday. She will be 8 years old. Brandy is a puppy at heart. She is compact, fit, and energetic. Brandy goes for 3 or 4 mile runs with me regularly, eats well, and is always alert and bright-eyed. She loves to chase after a toy or a tennis ball. She wags her tail just as vigorously as she did at six months old. Brandy growls if she hears neighbors walking by, and she barks like crazy if anyone knocks on the door.

Nevertheless, I am beginning to see some signs of aging this summer. Maybe it's because I'm home more often, but I have noticed that Brandy sleeps a lot more than I remember. And not a light, semiconscious sleep, but a deep leg-kicking, eyelid-fluttering dreamworld sleep. She does this nearly all day long. Sometimes she doesn't even hear those neighbors go by. When Brandy does get up from her frequent naps, there is now an audible pop-pop from her back legs as she extends them. Her active little joints are aging, and I sometimes worry that I work her too hard. But when she doesn't get her vigorous exercise, her mental stability begins to suffer, so I keep running and playing with her. 

This dog is so much more than a pet to me. She is my guardian angel. She has been my constant companion through thick and thin. Brandy protects me, cuddles with me, and happily plops herself into my lap whenever I need my spirits lifted. She is lying right next to me as I type this. Brandy keeps me active and teaches me about selflessness. She is the very definition of unconditional love. As she gets older, inevitably I'm forced to consider not having her around someday. It's hard to face that four more years may be about all I have with this sweet little thing. I just hope that when that day comes, in her little doggie mind, she will in some way know how much she's meant to me.  

Time to go find the tissue...