This, we think, is a wonderful article … if you like animals. It comes from today’s PARADE magazine which is delivered with the Lancaster Sunday News and many Sunday newspapers in the U.S.

SENIOR CLASS: Reggie and Gracie are like our children now.

For years, our pets have made us feel loved and adored. Now, as they age, it’s our turn.

“All day, the same sounds trail my footsteps through the house.

“Click-click-click-swoosh.

“Click-click-click-swoosh.

“Each time, I hear the same paw give out.

“‘Gracie,’ I say, reaching down to scratch our pug’s chin. ‘I’ll be right back. You don’t have to follow me.’

“Gracie is nearly 14. She is deaf and sees only shadows, but the scent of my hand is enough for her. She is a lap dog who takes her work seriously. She wags her curly tail and waits. I scoop her up, tuck her under my arm, and move on.

“‘We’re running a nursing home,’ I tell my husband later. He is reading the paper, surrounded by Gracie and our two elderly cats, Reggie and Winnie. Sherrod laughs but only a little. We are both feeling the weight of their advancing years.”

Read the rest of this charming article, written from the heart, about taking care of pets during their advancing years. Click here.