She has always been a high-maintenance dog. When she was a year old, the vet told us she had a malformed heart and wouldn't live long. We took her to a specialist vet who said her heart was fine; she had an asthma-like condition. So we have given her steroids and bronchodilators ever since. She has had to have a special diet in recent years; she has had several surgeries; her medicine regime requires one of those seven-day pill containers to keep straight. But a sweeter, more loving doggie I have never known.
When we bought our place in Ohio County, I imagined that she would still be with us when I retired. She used to enjoy splashing in the creek and sniffing at the trails of deer and turkey. She hasn't enjoyed going to the holler for quite a while; and of late, she hasn't been able to travel that far. But when her time comes, we will take her home to Wilderstead to rest next to Fuji and Cuthbert.