So this is how things stand. Famous is doing well now that he has turned ten years old. His birthday heralds the return of spring with its warm breezes which allow me to leave the coats and gloves behind on our walks and tend to the many activities in the flower garden, which Famous famously supervises. But now he spends more time napping and less time running than when he first came home with me. He is less likely to hear me come into the house if I arrive early, but usually he is watching for me from the window at the appointed time. Either way, he is equally eager to have me home.

Not only has he aged, but so have I. It would be more of a challenge for me to do all the things now that we once did ten years ago. Famous no longer pulls me down the road as I am jogging. Instead, we plan on longer, more leisurely strolls. If my aging bones are any indication of how he must feel being relatively fifteen to twenty years older than me now, then I completely understand how each step can at times be measured.

Here is a picture of Famous in one of his favorite spots–the hill behind our house. I see him there and refer to him as the “king of the hill.” The elevation gives him the best view of the backyard and the driveway in case it is necessary for him to greet or chase someone or something. Seeing him there yesterday I decided to stop what I was doing and plop down beside him and share his grassy bed for a little while. He seemed pleased that I would allow everything else in the world to wait and just hang with him for a few precious moments. I often find his ideas of how to spend the day are better than mine.

And moments are all that we really have when I think about how fast the past ten years have flown and how too soon a future without him advances towards me. There have, indeed, been very few “bad” moments for us to endure. He continues to make my life “rich” beyond measure, and I have reciprocated by taking any opportunity to make him “famous.” He has proven himself to be the perfect dog for me at the perfect time.