[His expression becomes sadder. He knows sooner or later Pess will grow old and weak and eventually die, but he tries not to dwell on that too much and just enjoys his time with his pooch.]

No, of course not.

[And that reminds him...]

The downside of having him here, regardless of his age, is that he'll be exposed to everything we face.

...He isn't trained for battle.

[Except maybe a show dog battle.]