I took this photo late yesterday afternoon just outside my office. That’s our old boy, Dillon, resting his chin on blind-and-deaf Blanca. This still-growing Great Dane puppy is content to lay her big frame right next to another dog, even if it means half the bed space for each of them. Dillon had been lying there peacefully when Blanca came over and plopped herself down. Since she was clearly crowding him, he decided to make the best of the situation and use her as a chin rest.
Dillon, who is one of our original "Seattle six-pack" of dogs who moved out with us to Montana, is now a rickety 15-year old. He increasingly struggles to walk, and he can no longer get up on his own. He’ll bark to let us know he needs help to get up. He’s also fecally incontinent and has been for most of this year. If his backside looks a bit different, it’s because we’ve clipped the hair there and on the underside of his tail. This makes it easier to clean him up, which we need to do at least three times a day.
Watching him shuffle as he walks, and seeing him try to rise on his own but fail, there are days when we ask ourselves, "Is it time?" But he still loves to eat, and at bed time, his eyes still sparkle when we give him his goodnight cookie. And as stiff and awkward as the rest of his body is, he has an amazing knack for being able to catch a cookie in mid-air with his mouth. That part of his body is working great!
Rolling Dog Farm Blog 
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