My dog Ezra has wobbly hips. I didn't notice it much until Maxx came. Now, seeing them walk side by side, I can tell that Maxx's gait is as true as North. Ezra on the other hand swishes back and forth from mid-torso to tail. It doesn't bother him or impair him at all. As he ages, though, my guess is that he'll begin to feel pain a little earlier than most German Shepherds. He'll get stiff - getting up and down will become difficult. Someone suggested I put him down now and cut my losses. But seeing him run in the woods, swim in the lake and wrestle with his brother, I have no doubt that he finds joy in every day. He doesn't know that one day he'll be stiff and achy. Or maybe he does. Either way, he lives each moment as if there is no tomorrow. Whatever comes, this moment is his.

I want to live my life that way.