My dog Kye is like my first born son. I've had him since 2004 and he will be turning 11 or 12 this January though he doesn't look it in his photos. I worry more and more about whats going to happen at 'The End' when he simply just gets too old. Today I found what I think may have been a urine puddle on his dog bed which got me worried, if he is becoming incontinent is there something internally wrong with him or is it just one of those dreams where you swear you are in the bathroom? (or outside, whichever)

I have him thoroughly checked at the vets every year when he gets his shots and the vet assures me he is in peak physical condition. He complimented his eyes, weight management and teeth and assured me that if he hadn't known Kye he would have said he was 5 yrs old at the most. I always wonder what exactly do they know from yearly checkups though? Shining a light into a dogs eye, listening to heart beat and checking teeth only get you so far :\

Kye has been with me through a lot of my firsts in life (hell, he was my first dog even!) First car, first car accident, first not-hand-me-down car, first apartment, first solo road trip (turns out he really cannot navigate a map worth shit) and first big move when we moved to Vancouver Island after High School. I adopted him the day before he was scheduled euthanasia, rehabilitated him so that he was not afraid of everyone. (he was so severely abused he was terrified of anyone but me and a friend of mine) We bonded immediately and since then he has been my copilot for life. Getting my second dog was a blessing as well but the bond between my first dog, and a dog that I have spent so much time on/with is something I doubt I will ever experience again.

Which begs the question, how will I know when its time for him to call it quits and how will I cope when he is gone? Just thinking about it is making me tear up! I hope he just dies in his sleep one night, nice and quiet. Im not sure I have the strength to put him to sleep. I have a hard enough time flushing goldfish before they are 100% dead! When do I start preparing for the eventuality of his passing?

I guess his last breath will be the last first he shares with me... the first pet to die.....