Sadie can hear the footsteps before she can see who they belong to.

Most of the time, the eleven-year-old Golden Retriever mix is lying on a low bed inside her shelter kennel.

Her body is painfully thin.

Severe arthritis has made movement difficult, and her weakened hind legs no longer support her for long. Once Sadie gets comfortable, she rarely changes position unless she needs to.

Then footsteps approach.

They slow.

And stop directly outside her kennel.

Sadie's eyes open.

Her head rises.

Then, despite legs that were barely strong enough to get her onto the bed, she plants both front paws and begins pushing.

Her chest comes up first.

Her hindquarters tremble beneath her.

Slowly, Sadie manages to sit.

She sways while staring directly through the kennel door.

For several seconds, she holds herself there.

Then the footsteps start again.

The person moves to the next kennel.

Sadie watches them leave.

Only then does her body begin sinking back toward the bed.

Sadie Doesn't Sit Up for Every Sound

The shelter is rarely completely quiet.

Dogs bark.

Doors open.

Bowls move.

Carts roll down the hallway.

Sadie hears much of it without getting up.

Sometimes only an ear moves.

Sometimes she lifts her head and puts it back down.

Footsteps passing her kennel are often treated the same way.

But footsteps that stop are different.

That is when Sadie tries to sit.

Her Body Makes Every Attempt Difficult

Sadie's front legs still provide much of the strength she needs to raise her chest.

The rear half of her body is another matter.

Her hind legs have lost muscle.

Arthritis makes joints stiff and painful.

Her thin condition leaves little reserve.

To move from lying down to sitting, Sadie has to coordinate a body that no longer responds as easily as it once did.

She pushes with her front paws.

Her shoulders rise.

Her weight shifts backward.

Then her hindquarters have to stabilize her.

That is usually where the trembling begins.

Sometimes She Almost Doesn't Make It

Sadie gets halfway upright.

One rear paw slides.

Her hip drops toward the mattress.

For a moment, it appears she will give up and lie back down.

Instead, her front paws brace harder.

She shifts her weight.

Her chest rises another few inches.

Finally, she is sitting.

Not comfortably.

Not steadily.

But upright enough to see the person outside.

Then She Watches

Sadie does not immediately bark.

She does not jump against the gate.

She cannot.

She simply looks.

Her head stays pointed toward the kennel entrance.

Her body sways gently beneath it.

One hind leg may begin sliding outward.