In the process of doing my daily check of Chessie, to make sure the parts she had this morning remained on her throughout the day, I made a startling discovery.

The dog appears to be growing teeth.

Her black and mottled-colored gums, which once sported gnawed down upper and lower teeth and what appeared to be sawed-off incisors, tiny slivers of teeth have appeared.

The skin on her rump, once black and very like the skin on a knee of an elephant – and devoid of hair – now is turning a grayish pink, with spikes of hair like the upper lip of a 13-year-old boy.

Her scamper in the morning, knowing what treats lie ahead, is more like a puppy than this ancient dog who is the poster pooch for the saying:  “sad-faced old dog.”

Could she be the canine version of the “Curious Case of Benjamin Button?”

If so, let’s hope she also outgrows her allergies and yeast infection. Now that would be worth living life over again!