105 year old dog!!!

What do you consider old for a dog, 10, 12, 16, or 18? Well, I got my dog Rose when I was 3... I am 22 and she is still laying on her bed in my living room. She is soon to be 19 years old. Rose is a walking miracle dog. Rose is a staple of my community. To my family, she is priceless. To anyone who knows her, she is a legend. This legend may not be as strong as she once was, may not be as energetic as the rest, her vision and hearing, nonexistent. In my family, there are 7 cousins, Rose has witnessed each birth, and each life grow into its own beauty. We have a picture of my cousin Luke, who is now almost 16, sharing his teething cookie with Rose! We also have pictures of the baby, Jed who is now 7, also sharing memories with Rose. I live in a very small town so everyone in the community is friends with Rose. Rose, you see, is a traveler. She would set out in the mornings to visit her dog friend Lucky at the old Brinkley's Hardware Store. Sometimes she would come back on her own, and sometimes Mr. Brinkley would bring her home at Lunch. Down my driveway there is a store called the Mini- Market, it is a small convenience store. In the summer, Rose prance in, straight to the candy aisle, get a Blow Pop, and walk back out! Whenever my Mom would go in, she would have to pay Rose's tab. I live next to a park where the Kindergarten class from the elementary school comes every year on a field trip. Starting with my kindergarten class, Rose made it an annual thing to attend the field trips to the park. With each new class, every year, Rose would walk to the park and join the fun.

Now Rose is tired and old. I never imagined that a dog could live to be almost 19 years old. Sometimes Rose gets outside and runs like she is a pup, and other times she can't hardly get up. She is in pain some days and we have debated on whether to put her to sleep because we do not want her to suffer, we can't do it. Every time we think it is the right choice, we back out. For the past several years, most of our memories of Rose are just her laying in her basket. We can't stand not walking through and seeing her lay there, even if that's all she can do anymore. Rose is definitely the old lady of the house. We are very fortunate to have a life full of memories with Rose!