…Time’s been taking a toll on our roster of Kaaawa morning dogs. We already lost Axel and Malama, two of our favorites, in the past few months.

Yesterday morning I luckily stopped to see three of our regular dogs who live just around the corner from us. I walked in and was told the tearful news that it was “time”. Not unanticipated, really, but still a shock. But it gave me the chance to say a sad goodbye to Maleke. He’s been crippled by hip and knee problems. Expensive surgery a couple of years ago initially offered hope but eventually failed. He’s been living in pain and, yesterday, his time had come. I offered him the regular dog biscuit after hearing that he was on the way to the vet, but he had no appetite for it. He did accept a goodbye scratch on the head as I bid him farewell.

I tracked down this photo of Maleke, taken at the end of 2003, when he was in his prime. Maleke was a big dog (over 100 pounds), strong, solid, and excited, and although he never threatened, he was like a brick on legs and strong enough to easily knock me off my feet just out of excitement. And in this video, taken just a few months ago, he was still able to get to his feet in order to collect a morning treat. In recent weeks, though, he wasn’t able to stand and I would take a dog biscuit over to where he was lying. Not a good situation.

So goodbye, Maleke. Now I’ll be spending some time printing photos to give to his people.

In the meantime, I’m still struggling to identify the appropriate level of care and best living situation for my parents who, at 94, are reaching the limits of living independently. It’s all part of that same flow of time, although dog years certainly pass more quickly. It would be easier if the financial meltdown hadn’t suddenly made planning future care more difficult for the less than wealthy.

But that’s another story.