Don’t ask forever

I saw a very sad sight today; one which made me angry too. A woman was walking along the road with her elderly mongrel dog following on behind. The dog was having a lot of difficulty walking, not only because of her wobbly back legs, but also a large internal tumour which had pushed the ribs behind her left shoulder way out of place. The owner was walking quite fast, and was getting annoyed at having to keep stopping and waiting for the dog to catch up. I’ve got a soft spot for elderly animals and I know they can have a great quality of life, even if it’s done at a much slower pace than it used to be in their youth (just like ourselves), but this poor old soul was suffering – you could see it in her expression. It’s hard to know when to let go of your old friend, but I go by my vet’s advice that it’s “better a week too early than a day too late.” This poor old girl had definitely been made to wait too long.