It was early spring. I was in the woods watching the dogs run. Honey was doing everything perfect, again. I called Pete and said I thought Honey was as good as any dog I have ever had and better than any I had now.

In September Honey was down. She could not move anything behind her shoulders. I saw her having trouble the day before and gave her a nice thick soft bed in the house and she kept sliding down that hill until she hit the bottom. The vet said she may recover, or not.

A week later there was no change and I was thinking this was it. I let her out in the yard in the morning, she was laying in the grass chewing on a bone. Then I looked and she was gone. I ran outside and heard that pretty voice of hers. She was down in the thick cane and had a rabbit going. It crossed the trail and she came on the line, dragging her back legs and going as fast as she could. I put what I had been thinking out of my mind for good.

The weather was nice and I was keeping Honey outside in a pen with May’s puppies after they were weaned. She loved those puppies like they were her own. I was walking away when I turned and saw her standing on her back legs. Feet bent underneath but standing. Must be just learning to balance on them I thought.

The best thing was when I came home from work that night and she was wagging her tail.

Honey is walking now. She is far from 100%. She may never run a hare through the deep snow again. But then again, she just might.