i was walking across the spider bridge thinking i can't imagine going on walks without him and i look back and he looks like, i'm right here, dug, see? i'm following you. 
later on his eyes look glassy, agitated, he's hungry for treats and trying to see what's in my hand.  i find a little ball and toss it a few feet away, and he's eager to play, and trots awkwardly where he thinks the ball may be, so eager... and i know, he's here now, but watching him walk the fence by the playground the way he always does, smelling every step of the border, reading the scent markings of the dogs who pass this way, i let my eyes stay where he just was and think of the days when i'll look everywhere we were and there will be a blank spot there where he is gone. 
then i see him look at me and i think he says, cheer up, as i do when people scowl or grimace at some pain or trauma inside, i think he says, cheer up, dug, it's only life.