Look at Buttons now! Living her best life. Can’t believe how far she has come.
I know! This crazy dog! I love her SO MUCH. She’s slowing down though - and was not that fast to begin with, lol. Here’s a less flattering pic, which shows her age and some concerning lumps on her leg (“not the good kind,” according to the vet). We were on the Appalachian Trail, where we’re now limited to a couple of miles at a time with her. But she loves going, so we scream along at our 50 minute mile pace.
We’re just watching the lumps for now because an ultrasound of her liver showed bad stuff in May '22, about which the vet said “She could live six months or a year. Or years!” and so here we are, at “or years!” She’s also completely deaf.
But meanwhile she’s got like 15 people on her “Wag List,” and she never cowers or trembles anymore. And she’s just completely game for anything outside.
Awwww… well, I hope she has many more years. She is a tough one. She was very lucky to find such a loving furever family 
How sweet is that? My heart is melting.
That is so awesome. Thats a happy dog!
“Good morning everyone. Here’s my little penis.” – Kipper
Yes, he’s literally posing in front of a wall of his own photos.
This dog! We’ve been very respectful of her age this summer. I would say our longest hike has been maybe three miles. Yesterday we decided to try for this peak, which was mis-marked. We got to “X Peak Wilderness Area” at just over two miles and discovered that there was another mile up a steep raggedy trail/waterway. My husband, Mr. “it’s just another half mile or so” Q, was for forging ahead, and little by little, we did, stopping for water and treats regularly. I’m so glad we kept going! It was a perfect day and we had beers and lunch for the summit. I was worried the whole way up that Buttons would be stumbling on the way back down, but no! And today she seems fine. (I did give her one of the “take a half pill as needed after exercise” with her dinner.)
For reference when I express astonishment over Buttons’ accomplishments, she was diagnosed with liver cancer (maybe! we elected not to do painful and pointless biopsies) 18 months ago and we were told she had “six months or a year…or years!” to live. Here are a couple of photos that show her age and condition. The vet says the lumps on her leg (they’re elsewhere, too) are “not the good kind,” so we’re “keeping an eye on them.”
I don’t know wtf she was up to in the bottom pic. I took it to send to my husband because she stayed in this odd position for a long time.
How old
When we got her in February 2021 the vet said 10-12, so we chose 10 and call her 12 1/2 now.
She’d had a difficult life to that point - she was seized by the sheriff for cruelty a couple of months before we adopted her and was a sick, scared girl when we got her.
Yeah, at that age I would just let her live and be happy
I agree, and I was really anxious about a steep ascent even thinking we’d be four miles up and out. But she seems to love going, and starts happy-jumping as soon as she sees that both of us are getting boots and packs ready.
We just keep going, waiting for her to balk, but she just keeps going, too. Canoe? Seems to love it! Tubes? Okay! Two miles? Yes! Six? No problem! Winter miles with us in snow shoes and her in booties? Bring it!
God, I love this dog.
GOD brought you both together for a reason
Maybe!
Way to go Buttons! What a trooper.
This was St. Ike, patron of shop dogs. He was like a tiny flying dustmop as a puppy, and great daily work buddy at the frame place.
He would keep the drawings and whatnot from blowing away, even when there wasn’t and wind!
This is Dandy. She became the new shop dog today at a completely different place doing other stuff.
She’s camera shy, but she likes the cart and looks real good in her fancy Halloween thing. 
I like having a good shop dog around. They just make things better.