I have yet to feel as old as when I look at my now geriatric dog. It is quite sad, really. She now limps about on different feet due to the arthritis in her back and paws.... Her back is so bent... She cannot remember where she is or what to do in certain circumstances...
When she dies, so does an era... an era of my life that I will never get back nor be able to share more intimately than my dog has experienced.
The older you get, the harder things get... and the sweeter, too.