Old dogs

The guy Cliff rides to work with saw our new dog, Iris, and said to Cliff, "That's an OLD dog; look how gray she is."


Wayside Waifs had Iris' age at three to six years old, but Tony's statement got me thinking she might be a lot older.  Shelters have been known to guess the ages of animals wrong.  And I worried about it for a little while.


Then I sat myself down and asked why it mattered.  Iris could be ten years old and still have another five years ahead of her; but even if she only had a couple of years left, if they're good ones, she's worth the effort.


She plays with her toys and fetches a ball and a frisbee.  She walks with a quick and lively step.  She already shows a strong loyalty to me.


I wonder if she thought, the day I brought her home, "This person who adopted me looks really, really old.  Will she live long enough to take care of me the rest of my life?"
  
I guess it goes both ways.
  
Ain't but three things in life that's worth a solitary dime....