John Eggers Column: Who do you encourage?

John Eggers Column: Who do you encourage?

Our dog, Simon, is getting up there in years. He is about 14 years old, which is old for a golden retriever. He has difficulty walking — his right back hip seems to be out of joint, and then there is arthritis. We humans have similar aches and pains. Simon has great difficulty climbing stairs. He will wait at the bottom of our stairs and bark, signaling, "I need some encouragement." I will come to the stairs and say things like, "You can do it, …