Maybe if he races from the living room he can jump up. If he is standing next to my bed and puts his front feet on the bed - well then I have to lift his back legs up and on to the bed.

But worse if he is on the bed and lowers his front feet to the floor he is stuck. I can't help him get down. Luckily he is sitting & sleeping in his favorite upholstered chair. He has no problem with the front room furniture either.

Outside he can jump and catch balls like a pro. Racing around is no problem for him either.

Thankfully Martha from the local neighborhood org gave me a sturdy wooden 2 step stair. She also gave me another that is slanted with one stair at the top. He refuses to even consider it. I will give that one back to her for smaller dogs to use.

This morning the 2 step unit is next to my bed and I managed to entice him with his training treats to step up on to the top step. But it took a while to get him to walk his back legs up the two steps with his back legs.

I can't get him to the vet until April. I think it is his left hip that is not working and I am assuming he will need xrays.

Please wish us both luck in our training program. He can be very stubborn.

But once I have his vet appointment I think he will need prayers.

What a year this is. Prayers for me to help him through this next stage of his life. He will be 11 on Halloween.

Thank you.