Marley Gotcha Day

It was a slow walk around the buildings at the tech labs today. Marley's tail was wagging as if to propel himself forward, but his back legs just aren't moving very fast these days. Good reason, we guess. We celebrate both his 14th birthday and 13th Gotcha Day today. (In leap years, it's on the 29th.) That's high mileage for a dog.
It was a Friday evening in 1997 when we brought him home from the shelter in West Brookfield, a year old and full of what year-old black Labs are supposed to have. Within a short time, though, my mother's Zen calmed him. She could get him to wait for a count of 10 before pouncing on the broccoli stalks that were left over from the evening salad prep.
We've walked a lot with Marley and now he's tired. He's got some kidney problems that require a special diet. Good stuff. It bends the spoon as I dig it out of the can. Still, he's as enthusiastic about it as about the broccoli as about a piece of steak. The one time last year when his appetite dimmed, we got scared, but the doctor was able to correct the problem. His weight is steady at just over 80 pounds.
He gets to rest as much as wants. He's earned it.