But there was another factor in this picture. We already had Heidi, a black-and-white cocker spaniel[9] who had lived with us and been cherished by us for many years. And I mean truly cherished.
Now Heidi was a different dog all together. She was quiet, peaceful, and warmly affectionate[10]. She knew her place in our family. And probably without even thinking about it, she knew that place was clearly hers.
So this is what happened: One day someone in the family noticed that Heidi was not walking very well. Her hind legs both seemed to be getting weak. And after a short time we also noticed that she was losing her hair. Finally, she had no strength left in her two back legs and she had lost all of her hair except for a three-inch collar[11] of fur around her neck and the same around all four ankles. It was necessary for someone to carry her outside to relieve herself. The whole family was very disturbed by this. So one Saturday morning it was decided that my husband, Gene, should take her to the local veterinarian[12]. The two of them came back in about an hour, and Heidi came running into the house on all four legs. Well, not exactly running, but under her own steam[13].
We were overjoyed until Gene told us what the vet had said. He told Gene that Heidi had a skin disease and it was not curable. Further, he said that she had a serious case of arthritis[14], also incurable. He had, however, given her a shot of something that gave her strength in her legs, and if we would bring her back every five days for that shot she could live with a fair degree of comfort. Sadly, he said she would never get her hair back.
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