First Person is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at tgam.ca/essayguide. Near the end, Duke, my 14-year-old labrador, opened his eyes as I was trying to step over him quietly. With nothing more than his dimmed, slightly cataract covered eyes, he told me clearly, “You will need to help me out of this soon.” I was gutted. More than a decade earlier my mother had voiced her opposition.