It's a dogs life

Ruger is our 11 year old Black Lab.  He is the apple of Chad's eye (well, ok, his children are, but Ruger rates right up there).  He is getting old.  His hearing is sketchy, he is lazy, he sleeps too much, he needs help getting in to the truck, but we know his time is coming.  As hard as it is for me to think about it, it's a fact of life.  His time with us here is limited.

This past weekend, we let him hang out by us at the fire, and he thought he could be a lapdog like his 4 year old brother, Oscar.

 And, apparently he loves to give kisses too.

Chad will certainly be lost without his hunting companion.  I do know of 2 boys that will be even more sad.  Evan has never known life without Ruger.  He already cries when a dog dies, I can only imagine what will happen when it is our turn.

He has lived a great life!  He loves Grandma's house and the free run he gets there.  He loves swimming even though he is stiff and sore the next day.  He loves to sneak in and try to stay inside the house or camper.  He loves sleeping on top of his dog house when it's -40* outside.  He likes to play with the boys' soccer or basketball.  Once even getting the basketball stuck in his mouth and I had to call a neighbor to come help me get it out! 

Plain and simple, Ruger is a part of our lives.  He's our family.  He's the world's best dog.  He's old, but his time is coming.

(Wow, now that was a depressing post....and I'm crying.  No more sad posts).