Norman came to me as a foster for our local Pug Rescue group. He was overweight and about 10 years old. His 87 year old owner had to go live with her children in another state and she couldn't take her with him. I am pretty sure he was left outside alot on a chain. He had a permanent "collar" where there was no hair around his neck and also no hair along the topside of his tail from rubbing. When asked what he ate, she said, "cheeseburgers". :D Norman was a ball fanatic. He loved to chase them, shake them and would own all of the balls. No other dogs were allowed to play with balls. He was also very kind to children. This was a trait I really loved in Norman. This guy had a built in alarm clock. He would go to the kitchen and start staring at the cupboard about 30 minutes before eating time and wait. If he felt he had waited long enough, he would peek out of the kitchen and bark at us to feed him. Once I finally started to dish his food, he would bark non stop until his food was delivered to him. I tried for 6 months to break this habit and it was unsuccessful. After a while, Norman became my shadow. No matter where I went (unless it was downstairs), he went with me. I always worried about rolling over him with the computer chair, so I finally put a bed under my desk and he always laid there, safely. At night, his spot was at the top of the bed up against my back or side. He would go to sleep nearly immediately, snoring softly. There were times I woke up in the middle of the night and listened. Those soft snores were so comforting. Waking was dangerous. If I moved, even a tiny bit, he would jump up and start barking to go eat. Again, non stop until he ate. He was so excited. He was always happy and willing. He went for walks with us, he went camping and when his brother did agility, he went to trials with us. He didn't crate well without barking or howling, so he stayed in the trailer, quite comfy. 3 years into his life with us, we noticed his back feet lifting and stepping oddly. He had always had back end weakness, but it was getting really obvious. I took him to a Rehab Vet, named Dr. Shaw in Portland,OR. We did exercises, acupuncture, water therapy and blue laser treatments. And, he got a wheelchair. This gave him more mobility. The treatments gave us another year with Norman. My husband and I discussed his situation because it would not get better. He would eventually lose the use of his back legs. We agreed when he couldn't walk, we would keep his quality of life and make the choice to help him over the bridge. However, it turned out that he came down with a rare skin disease that made him miserable; it hurt, he was scaly and he would lose hair and required 2 baths a week. His treatments on his skin were not helping, but we kept trying because he kept walking. I was carrying him and had been for over a year - up and down our stairs to the yard. Through the sun, rain, ice, and snow. He was a trooper. Then, I noticed he was drinking alot of water and took him to the vet. I found he was in Stage 1 kidney failure. It was too much. Too much for him and for me. I made the appointment for him. I realized, later, after having held him until he was completely sedated and sleeping comfortably, that I had probably held onto him too long. I try really hard not to be selfish and keep these kind souls with me - for me. My vet was so kind in helping me with the procedure. And, Norman was tired and ready to go. He was just hanging in there for me. I had to be strong for him and let him go. We had a wonderful 4 years with him. I miss my little shadow, so very much.