It probably took me years of ownership to get a handle on dogs. If you are going to own one daily exercise goes a long way. I have had dogs in our growing up years and since leaving home those many years ago.

At this time our younger dog somehow knows the very old dog has issues. He will ask us to put the older dog out for example and seems to watch over him in a careful non dominate fashion.

Our older dogs time is near. I have no ideal how the younger dog rationalizes these things but he does seem to know something is up.

Reciently he is now going way out of his norm to kind of care for him. He watches him almost continually. Plays very easy l if the older dog want to participate. This on any day his energy is higher.

The old dogs hearing is gone, his eyes are weakening, He can no longer jump up on things easily. Misses steps that he has trod for years.

Since he shows no sign of pain even though he has an enlarged heart and he coughs ocassionally. I feel it is still a little too early to put him down. At the same time it is growing closer all the time. He has had a long good happy life.