Just like you, we have all come to love Mary. She has no demands, but she gives back affection, curiosity, tolerance, and a bark or two. Everyday she accompanies CAPE staff as they walk through the sanctuary, caring for the animals. It never fails that later we will find her curled up on the couch, her favorite red blanket tucked around her.

But Mary is slowing down. In recent days we have noticed that her energy is decreasing. The tumor on her hind end seems a bit larger. We worry that the cancer has spread further.

She still gobbles up her meals, and wags her tail while barking when her favorite people arrive back home. We know that the beautiful life being given to her has not gone unnoticed. Mary drinks it in daily, with Maya, her "hospice nurse" always at her side.