Gator

We love our furry little pup.  I still call him puppy because he’s so playful and soft and stinkin’ cute.  Over the past year, though, he’s definitely been showing his age—losing muscle tone, sleeping more, taking longer to get his rear end up, developing cataracts.  Last year, he’s had several health issues, too—anemia, elevation of his white blood cell count, severe changes in his nose.  All of this, after several tests, scans, vet appointments, had led to a, by process of elimination, diagnosis of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE).  So, just like any senior (he’s 10 now), he’s got a daily line-up of a handful of meds.  He seems to still love me even though I shove anywhere from 6 to 9 pills down his throat each day…although, each dose is followed up by several treats.  He does love his treats—it’s hard to get him to eat most days (he’s a picky one, changes his mind constantly about what he will and will not eat, and has been known to go on hunger strikes until we cook some bacon) but he’ll always chow down on treats.  When he finds his joy, though, that’s when he’s a puppy.  He can still play a mean game of fetch for as long as anyone’s willing and he happily goes on 3.5+ mile trail hikes with me every week.  He’s always been quite the outdoorsman.  He’s a special, one-of-a-kind pup and we love his quirky personality.  He fits with us perfectly. 
This is just a quick picture of him I took when I was trying out a new lens.  Yes, I got another lens…but, in my defense, I sold two others to pick up this one (a 35mm 1.4G).