I'm not dead yet

Motor is old. He will be fifteen in March. We knew he was old a while ago, but now he acts old.

In the past three days he has pooped in the house six times, thrown up down the stairs (yes onto me), fallen down the stairs twice and had to be carried up the stairs once. He stills wags his tail, occasionally will prance around, and eats his food with gusto. His quality of life seems to be intact, but I wonder about mine.

What does he thinks about getting old? Does he regret that he is no longer an elite athlete? He certainly shows signs of embarrassment when he is unable to complete some physical tasks.

Motor was my running partner for eleven years. He always ran strong and was always ready to run a little further. I never took him on really long runs because the vet discouraged it, but he could run a 10K no problem. Motor could anticipate my pace and the route. He was encouraging and forgiving. He knew the traffic rules and those we sometimes disobeyed.

In his youth Motor was solid brown. He was solid muscle and retained his muscular frame until very recently. He was beautiful to watch run. This is a good thing since he was known for running - sometimes in a bad way.

Motor is not much of a barker, but he is a great protector. He would investigate anything he heard or sensed was out of place, but rarely found anything to raise alarm. When he did bark it was a strong deep bark that even scared me a little. He always stood strong and by my side. He never challenged another dog, but if they challenged him he would put them in their place very quickly. We have been fortunate not to need his protection, but I am certain that if I was ever attacked he would fight for me to the death.

Motor never really lets me out of his site. He follows me around the house. On really active days, like when I clean the house, he is exhausted by the end of the day. Even now he is sitting next to me. He prefers his bed to be right by my desk chair so he knows when I move.

Humans have used dogs for various tasks in their protective forces for many years. Now that we have a pack we see how our dogs fill different roles in our home. Motor is the emperor's dog. He quietly and effectively protects the emperor at all times. The emperor is never left to fend for themselves. He now needs a little protection of his own and I will miss him when he is gone.