Old dogs are still good dogs. They deserve love, care, and respect until life ends. I wrote the the story of Maggie and Laila with as few words as possible. I trust your imagination will fill any gaps.
Although her hearing has collapsed,
Maggie reads lips and responds to gestures,
Twice a day she chows down chicken and kibble,
And takes a daily walk to sniff the rocks.
She damns the day a rescued dog came to the house.
By retreating to distant spaces,
Maggie shunned her eventual replacement.
*
Laila, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, has special needs,
Insulin injections twice a day, 12 hours apart.
One cup of kibble and a piece of cheese,
Injection in the nape and a rub,
Another piece of cheese, please.
Her brown eyes flash the “I’m Still Hungry” sign.
*
The adoption agent said Laila was trained,
Not so said I when she stayed for a week,
Peeing on the carpets and using the dog door
Only when she pleased, surely
Competition for food and affection upset her balance.
*
Maggie deserves stress-free senior years,
No matter how short the leash on life.
Sadly, Laila needed another home,
The girls were not meant to be friends to the end.
* * *
Consider Writing 
Joan took us to Happy Hour last night as a reward. A friend mentioned that perhaps Maggie could smell the diabetes and that kept her far away from Laila. Laila started to growl and snap at M. – competition over food. Worked on the LR stain yesterday; it’s still there. For now, Maggie will live solo and she’s her old self again.
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Awhhh, so sorry it didn’t work out. I agree senior babes deserve peace, but special needs dogs need a loving home too. What a difficult choice. Laila’s peeing could be a diabetes issue…not enough insulin, glucose numbers too high. Poor baby.
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