Sunny Afternoon, Long, Slow Walk

In what seems to be the pre-spring start, we had a pretty sunny afternoon today. Around 5 or so, Honey and I took a long walk together to take advantage of the nice weather.

The long walk (about 2.5 miles) usually takes us about 40 minutes, and Honey usually leads the way. We haven't done it in a long time, since this winter has been so cold. It's been hard to take her on long walks because the cold really gets into her bones.

We headed out and started in our usual jaunty way . . . with Honey in the lead. About one third of the way through, Honey began to slow down. I think it was the arthritis.

We still took the whole course, but we went about it very slowly. It took us nearly an hour to get it all done. I had to encourage her a lot, and I had to fight the impulse to carry her for the last block. She is now curled up in her little bed, fast asleep.

Aging is not a pleasant thing, but seeing your dog begin to show that she is getting old is downright sad -- especially when she's trying to show you she still can keep up to please you. I'm sure things will get better as we adjust, but right now, things are not well in our world.