A Little “Help” with the Yard and Pepper

I was busy doing some yard work last week.  We have ash trees along the driveway and they all shed horribly.  If we get a wind or heavy rain, we have to be out with the rake and wheel barrow to clean the lawn.

I always have “help”…that is if you want to call the dogs helpers.  In my typical style, I have my MP3 player and am listening to a book on tape.

Ruby tries to pick up every stick and chew it…thankfully she will drop it if I tell her to.  Our farm dog, Pepper isn’t doing the best.  She is 12 years old now.  She’s been hit by a car two different times in her life.

I was recently walking the field paths with her and Ruby.  Last year, she loved it.   This time, we got about a 1/2 mile from home and she was frantically panting and shaking.  Ruby and I stopped.  I started contemplating how I was going to get her home.  I didn’t think she could do it on her own.  As she walked I could see that she has a large lump on the underside of her leg.  She had been getting small lumps but they would pop and disappear.  We continued to walk a few feet, stop and give Pepper a break and then start walking again.  Last year she would sprint home.

Pepper was hit by a car years ago.  Since then she has had a brain injury and will not go into a car or an enclosed building so I really can’t get her to the vet.  While I was at the vet with Ruby, we talked about Pepper.  The vet said she is relatively sure it is cancer and was willing to come out and do a biopsy but with Pepper’s age and poor quality of life, she agreed with us that we need to monitor her and when things are getting too much for her that we let her go.  She is really arthritic.  When she gets up, she stands for a bit before she takes a step.

For now, I am trying to appreciate the time I have with her…when I walk Ruby, I sneak away so Pepper doesn’t know.  Walking that far is just too hard on her.  Hopefully a time will come and a decision will be obvious.