The dimming of the day

The good news is that she was feeling good enough that she was wanting to go. She always loved our walks and she headed straight for the van when I took her outside.

I put the harness on her because it's part of our routine, but I think I could have walked her with just the leash and collar without difficulty. She would still take off if she spotted or caught the scent of a deer, although I don't think she'd go too far or be gone too long at this point.

She knew the trail and led the way as always, even with it covered in snow. We saw far more deer tracks than human or canine footprints. I was huffing and puffing and struggling a bit walking through the snow. She is light enough that she didn't break through the crusty surface so she could walk pretty easily, but it was apparent that she didn't have the energy or stamina for the hikes we did last year. I certainly didn't either, so we just did a short loop on the Heritage Trail, probably not more than a quarter mile or so.

Emmy is only eating about once a day now when tempted with something pretty tasty. She's got a fair amount of pain that makes it difficult for her to lie down at times. We are hitting the painkillers fairly hard and she is resting and sleeping comfortably most of the time, at least from what I can tell. Actually, I can read her mood and comfort level pretty well.

I don't know how long we've got, so I wanted to get her back out on the trails for a short walks at least, because I know she loves it.