Last Thursday was a huge day for my dog, Noki. First, she had a successful check-up for her recent surgery to repair the cruciate ligament (commonly called the ACL) in her left knee. This was her second surgery in six months, as she went through the same procedure on her right knee last September.

Second, we got the great news that she hit her goal weight of 42 pounds, which means she’s lost 20 pounds in the past year! We knew that she was gaining some weight as she got older and wasn’t as active as when she was a pup. But we were shocked (and slightly embarrassed) to see her tip the scales at 62 pounds during a routine vet visit last June.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll delve deeper into both issues and provide things I’ve learned along the way. But for now, we’re enjoying having Noki back to her normal, healthy self. Or as I like to call it, Noki 2.0.