My furry little friend is hanging tough with his cancer. [View all]

Every day is a blessing with this guy. He's 14 with bladder cancer, but he's happy. He's on anti-inflammatories, and the vet says that there are some cancers in dogs that can be kept at bay for awhile with these drugs. The tumor is in a bladder location where it has to grow a bit before it blocks his urine flow.

We have a ritual every night. I lay him down on the bed and caress him for about 30 minutes. I boop his nose. I tell him he's a good boy, and that he's pretty. Even though he's deaf, I still think he knows what I'm saying because I used to tell him that all the time when he could hear. He purrs like a cat when I do this. He has the most beautiful brown eyes, and when he's really relaxed during the massage, we just stare into each others eyes. No one can tell me that animals don't have souls.

Our third sheltie, and I loved them all, but this boy is the sweetest thing imaginable.