Mackie (l and his new friend, Pumpkin I was told Mackie, my 14–year–old blond llasa apsa, had two weeks, or at the most, two months to live in November 2008. Probably cancer, they said.

The symptoms started when Mackie did not eat for two weeks, but when he got on the scales at Dr. Rocky Bright’s office, he weighed 15 pounds instead of his normal 14. Rocky, the vet for all my animals for 28 years, and I were mystified. Rocky was sure Mackie was getting food somewhere, and I knew he wasn’t because I have sat with Mackie and fed him with a fork all of his life. There was no way he had gotten food.

Mackie was x–rayed and Rocky saw a mass he wasn’t sure of and sent Mackie to a specialist, Dr. Goldman at the South Carolina Veterinary Emergency Care. It seemed like forever in the waiting room. Finally, Dr. Goldman came in and told me they were going to drain fluid that had collected in Mackie’s body, and it would be about two hours. The mystery of the weight gain was solved.

After the ordeal, the doctor came in for “the chat.” She said Mackie probably had cancer and asked if I wanted them to test him. I said no. There was no way I was going to put him through treatment at his age.

Rocky also had “the chat” with me and wanted to know if I wanted to be aggressive with treatment

if it came to that. I said no

again, and Rocky put Mackie on prednisone to stimulate his appetite.

Mackie has always slept with me so the next few weeks were hard. I woke up at all hours of the night to feel Mackie and see if he was breathing. If he made the slightest strange noise, I checked him out. I didn’t want to leave him because I did not want him to die alone.

Most of the first five months, all Mackie did was sleep and eat about half a can of food each evening with coaxing. Every day when I came home, I was terrified I would find him gone to doggie heaven.

But...all of that changed in March when Mackie met Pumpkin, a perky little red headed pomeranian. With each visit, she would sashay up the stairs immediately to Mackie’s hideout in the closet. Once she got his attention, off she would run.

Mackie started going downstairs in the middle of the night and barking to go out. He began eating 3/4 of a can in the evening and a cup of dried food in the morning at 6 am. And he became very bossy.

If his bowl is not completely full of water, he will bark, jump around, and drive me crazy until I fill it. If I don’t feed him as soon as I walk in the door from work, he barks that irritating bark little dogs seem to have.

Pumpkin visits quite often, and to see the two together, one would not think anything is going on. They remind me of sweethearts in elementary school who never even speak to each other. But, there is a sniff every now and then. Whatever Pumpkin has brought the fountain of youth back into Mackie’s life.

Mackie also pays more attention to his apearance, licking himself constantly. He insists on going to the groomer more often.

After reading this, you might think I have spoiled Mackie over the years. According to the dog years calculator, Mackie is 69 in human years, and I am 13 in dog years. Maybe it’s because I’m too young to know any better, and he’s earned the right to be spoiled.