Our Black Dog's Past Year

'Tis the season when I make photo calendars as gifts for family. In some ways, I love doing it. Looking through my photo archives reminds of the highs and lows of the past year.

As I started the process this year, I was initially flummoxed by the fact that I couldn't find any photos of R cavorting in the snow last winter. I finally remembered that he'd had surgery for elbow dysplasia last winter so he did very little playing in the snow.

He did play on the day before his surgery!

And, then, he rested for most of the winter because running on snow and ice is very tough on a bad elbow.

As I went through my archives, I knew that I'd hit the time of year when R had been given permission to run around again when I found this photo! That is classic goofy R!

He really lived it up during the summer, when we felt fairly confident in his elbow. Look at the crazed happiness in his eyes in the next photo.

And he told the world that he was overjoyed about it!

Playing is obviously good for the soul, based on his puppy-like face in a photo from this fall.

I am so happy that he is living life to the fullest. We know it's just a matter of time before he'll need major reconstructive surgery on that bad elbow. He's had 2 arthroscopic "clean-outs" so far in his life and has almost no cartilage remaining in that elbow.

But, like all the dogs I've known, he isn't worrying about it. He's having fun every day!