That seemed so long ago...even so, it was how I saw Roman even when he was old and lame. I saw a beautiful Greyhound. It wasn't until he was laying before me at the vet's did I see how he had aged; how scruffy his coat had become, how his teeth were missing and yellow, how gray his face had become, and how sunken and foggy his eyes were, and how he struggled just to stand were all ignored by my mind's eye. In my mind's eye, he was beautiful, and always will be beautiful.
Here is the last photo I took of him, a bit of a difference from the image I had of him in my mind:
How much difference 4 1/2 years makes. Do not take any time you have with your loved ones for granted. Every moment is special, and eventually your loved ones must leave you, or you them. Make the best of life, enjoy it as it is, and leave with no regrets. That is all we can hope to do.