Still another thing I have learned from my dear German shepherd is to keep your head up, and keep moving - forward. Yes, she has slowed up,considerably, the arthritis also causing her to stop and rest several times during our walks, but once she gets going again, it's full throttle each time.
I usually let her sniff the ground for a while, and I even let her do her zig-zag routine more often than I used to (I had stopped that because I was tripping over her to many times). But as soon as she picks up an interesting scent she's off and pulling with the same old strength she's always had. Perhaps I indulge her more than I should, but it's great for me to see her acting just like any good dog should.
Does she ever look back? Frequently, but isn't that a natural, feral instinct to be sure that any potential game doesn't cross behind her, and that any predator can't attack from the rear?
As I see it, yes - she's in pain from time to time (possibly more-so when her medication has worn off and it's getting near the time for her next dose) but her quality-of-life is a hell of a lot higher on the good scale, than the pain that does beset her.
Boy, I wish I could measure that pain. When she sees another dog, as she did this morning -before she got her first medication for the day - she almost pulled my arm off trying to get to it.
She just picked her head up, and she charged forward.
Euthanasia - no damn way.
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