More: Petunia is a wonderful being—incredibly smart, hugely empathetic, and joyfully active. She adores running fast as a lightning bolt and doing backflips to catch a tennis ball—so it was devastating for us all when she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis at the too young age of 3 years old. It was heartbreaking to have to stop so many of the activities that she loves in order to slow the progression of the disease that will inevitably disable her. However, we are incredibly fortunate that she adores swimming, and we have some beautiful lakes in our area that she loves to visit. Swimming has been a great way for her to stay active in a healthy manner, and a great way to get us all to go on adventures to find her dog-friendly swimming holes in the great outdoors.