I pulled in at the trail head. A truck parked next to me and in the cab alongside the driver was a beautiful chocolate lab. I paused before heading out. The dog was not moving too well and at first glance I noticed, as often happens with labs, it was the dog's hips.
The man moved slowly and patiently with his dog. We made eye contact. "Chocolate lab?" He nodded and replied, "Yep. He's a good dog. We've walked these trails for thirteen years. Now, he can't walk anymore, his hips are bad, yet, I still bring him here. He likes to sniff. It makes him happy."
The wonderful gift and the amazing bond between humans and our dogs.
A lesson in love between a man and his aging dog; the memories shared and the love to still bring the dog to the place he loved to run and now patiently letting him sniff and be outdoors.
Do dogs remember? I like to believe they do.