Happy Valentine’s Day from my guy Moose. For those who don’t know him, he’s my 13 year old chocolate lab that we rescued when he was 7.

The top photo was taken in January 2019 at the “confetti hearts wall.” I think this mural been labeled the most instagrammable spot in Charlotte. Search the #confettiheartswall on instagram and you’ll see. It is popular.

When I discovered it, I knew I wanted to get Moose there for photos.

The second photo was taken this week. I put the red bowtie on Moose in honor of Valentine’s Day and I let him wander around the yard. I snapped away while he did. That’s pretty much the extent of Moose’s modeling work these days.

Unfortunately this past year he was diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis, a condition that over time can result in the muscles of the larynx becoming paralyzed. When paralysis sets in, the larynx cannot expand, which restricts a dog's ability to breathe deeply. Most dogs with laryngeal paralysis exhibit loud, labored breathing and throat clearing.

Moose is in the early stages of the disease. His most prevalent symptoms are a hoarse bark and hind quarter weakness. Because this is a neurological disease, hind quarter weakness is very common.

Our vet instructed us to keep him calm and stress-free so Moose isn’t modeling for me much these days. We are hanging inside together and enjoying extra time together cuddling. He still loves his short walks around the neighborhood too.

When I work at my desk, he sleeps behind me. I am frequently serenaded by his sweet snoring and it’s a sound I love.

I love this dog. He is a sweet boy and he always tries very hard to be the best boy. (Sometimes his nose gets him in trouble but that’s a story for another day.) He will celebrate his 14th birthday on March 30th. Everyone please send him positive thoughts and prayers for continued slow progress of this disease so he can celebrate with cake next month. Moose likes cake.

This is a blog circle. If you click the link at the bottom of each post you’ll go around the circle and read about our topic this week which is Red/Love. Next up is Helen Green, dog photography and painting from Geelong, Australia.