Look at him

To look at him now, at just over 80 pounds, you'd never believe he was once a tiny little thing.

To look at him now, at 11 years old, you'd never guess he was once abused and abandoned early on in his life. He came home with me when he was just over 8 weeks old.

To look at him now, all grizzled with gray on his face and body, you'd never imagine how once he was all black, shiny with just white socks on his feet and a white patch on his chest.

To look at him now, as he lays on the bay window and twitches happily in his sleep, you'd never know how he once ran through the woods, always coming back when called--but usually only after being called repeatedly.

To look at him now, as he sits near me, you'd never know how much he's meant to me over the years, how he let me cry on him when the going got really tough, how he'd just come up next to me and lay his head on my leg or arm when I needed it most.

To look at him now, you'd never know he's got cancer and an aggressive form at that.

To look at me now, you'd know how much he means to me.

Surgery two weeks from tomorrow...prognosis TBD.