Casper Doodle, age 15, is stiff with arthritis. She has so much trouble getting up and down now that I set her food up on a milking stool so she won't have to bend to reach into the pot. And of course it's right next to the rainbarrel so she doesn't have to go far to quench her thirst while she's eating. If I don't stay there, the two smaller, younger dogs will chase her from her bowl, and she will let them, and go hungry and get skinny. This had already happened this past winter by the time we realized she wasn't standing up for herself and tuning those little whippersnappers in. So now I have to stay near her, or hoe weeds from my flower beds nearby, until she finishes. If I walk away, all three dogs will leave their food and follow me, no matter how hungry they may be. Wouldn't want to miss anything! And then the voracious magpies come in and quickly make off with any dog food left out. Can't have that, so I stand guard over Casper to make sure she gets her fill.
