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For our seniors that give us so much love.</div>
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<div>Autumn<br />
What do we do when our loving pets face the last leg of the race?<br />
We do all we can to help them finish well, of course.<br />
We take time to read the unspoken needs of the friends we've come to <br />
know so well. We give the simple reassurances of a loving touch, when the
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old boy seems confused for no reason We groom them faithfully, but more<br />
gently, as age brings muscle wasting, and the arthritic bones aren't <br />
so well padded We learn to slow for their sake, as they enjoy the scent <br
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of the wind, or track a visitor's trail across the yard. We expect to be<br
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inconvenienced, and aren't angry when it happens. We watch for pain <br />
and treat it, watch for changes in vision and hearing and do what we can <br
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to help preserve those precious senses for as long as possible. We take <br
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care of their teeth, and make sure their food is a manageable texture for
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them. We remind them of the need for a potty walk, when they seem to <br />
forget. We remember the little rewards. We scratch the graying ears and
tummy, <br />
and go for car rides together. When the pet we love has an unexplained need
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for comfort, we give it freely. When infirmities bring a sense of<br />
vulnerability, we become our old guardian's protector. We watch their<br />
deepest slumbers, when dreams take them running across long forgotten<br />
fields, and we remember those fields too. When they cannot stand <br />
alone, we lift them. When their steps are uncertain, we steady them. And if
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their health fails, it falls to us to make the choice that will gently put
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them to rest. But until that is absolutely necessary, we pause to let the<br
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autumn sun warm our old friend's bones. And we realize, autumn is not <br />
a bad time of year at all. Old age is not a disease or a reason to give <br
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up. It is a stage of life that brings it's own changes. Autumn is a <br />
beautiful time of harvest. Sometimes, the harvest is love.</div>
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<div>Teresa</div>
<div>Rowdy</div>
<div>Deuce</div>
<div>Yukon atb forever in my heart</div>
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