My furry faced son

Balt turns 12 on Saturday. He's still adorable but has become a bit more annoying. He has a pretty short notice on when he has to poop so if you don't attend to his bark pretty quick, there is a mess to clean up. When I'm JIm's house (where there's carpet), I am very attentive and I take him for more walks. Luckily, during the work days in Madison, Monika is around to let him out but that doesn't mean we don't see accidents. He's no longer allowed in bed with me. It only took waking up to poop in my bed twice to ban him. He no longer can climb the hard wood stairs without help and he's fallen down the stairs several times. Because of his arthritis, he often loses his footing, especially on hardwood floors. He often barks for dinner right after eating dinner. I wonder if he's just forgotten he ate. He still wakes me up every morning by 5am for breakfast and then sits outside to enjoy the morning, even if it is dark outside. I often wonder what life will be like when he's gone... I'll miss him so much, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in someday.