Reality

Well, my puppy's home. He's doing OK, all things considered. However, realistically, barring a miracle he's only got a few weeks to live. The ultrasound revealed that he does indeed have tumors on both his spleen and his liver, and they're probably multiplying, so although he's getting better, this will happen again. Surgery would maybe add a month or so to his life, if all went well. And, due to his bad arthritis, recovery from surgery would be very painful for him. So far, he hasn't really been suffering (except from the arthritis, which he's been living with for years), and I really want to keep it that way.

So we're not going to do that (surgery). When Tina calls tomorrow, I'll find out if she wants to come temporarily off the trail to say goodbye. If so, I'll do what I can to make sure he's here when she gets here (assuming that doesn't involve him being in pain), but beyond that, next time he gets really sick, I'll probably say goodbye too. We'll miss our cuddly snow dog, and I'm incredibly thankful to have a little more time with him after all.