Is the dog still alive? 1-18-13

Many regular readers will recall occasional posts about our dog. Her name is Sasha...and she is still alive! She is of course very old by now---with luck she will be 12 in April. When one factors in her weight (93 pounds) and the fact that, in spite of being a rescue dog, she is a purebred from a breed that is not known for particularly long lives---she is doing remarkably well. In fact, according to a book called Good Old Dog written by the Vets at Tufts University, her age should be multiplied by 8 years instead of the usual 7. This would result in a physical age of about 92 years! Needless to say, she is slowing down a great deal. Her arthritis is kept in check with a combination of Meloxicam, Fish Oil, massage, and low level laser therapy. So do we all need proof that she is still alive? Below is a very recent pic.

Does this dog look dead to
you? Of course not!

Perhaps the above pic is not absolute proof---until one asks why we would keep a huge stuffed animal underfoot during business hours. 
Sasha still comes to work here at the studio for at least 6 shifts per week (out of a possible 11...not too shabby.) Granted she is slowing down a bit, although as of late she has been making subtle demands for more pay. Her contention is that now that we have two doors (a front and a rear) for clients to enter through she deserves DOUBLE pay. Needless to say management here is in disagreement but we shall continue to negotiate with her in good faith and hopefully arrive at some compromise. Her capabilities as a guard dog were never well-honed, but lately salesmen have been slipping past her left and right. We are also going to require some sort of contribution from her toward her pension fund as we cannot continue to bear the entire cost by ourselves.