Thanks, guys, he appreciates the birthday wishes. I took that picture this morning, right before he got his AM dose of glucosamine/chondroitin and an aspirin. The vet says he's in great shape for 98. His vision is fading, he can't hear a thing, and I have to help him down the stairs in the mornings because he insists on sleeping in our room, but he's still good for (short) walks in the back field and keeping delivery men at bay. We've been through so much together - marriages and divorces, births and deaths, countless nights up with sick kids and things that go bump in the night, three houses, kids growing up, moving out, going to war, years and years of just the two of us hanging out while we solved the world's problems, I gave him advice and listened to his and occasionally cried on his shoulder. He was a great Dad, the father of 24, he was 120 pounds in his prime, rugged as all get out and mean as hell when he needed to be, but just as ready to lick away tears when one of the kids scraped a knee. He's the best damn dog I've ever had and the best friend and I'm looking forward to all the days we have left together.
