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Since it has been so hot here and we were up early to give the cat his insulin I decided to stay up and take the dogs over to the park for an early morning walk while it was still cooler out.
The park has just finished fencing its off leash area so we walked across the park and to the back where this area is to look at it. No one was there so I took Jazz and Dazzle in and let them run. Jazz no longer goes to dog parks as she is too cranky and acts deaf so no longer responds to recalls well. Well right away Dazzle starts showing off and was zooming past her over and over. It is like having a race horse zoom past as the ground shakes when he flies by! Jazz got this grin on her face and decided she could catch him as she had been a fast dog.Years ago at a K-9 Pals fund raiser she was clocked by police radar at 27MPH and got a speeding ticket we " had to pay" lol!
So she takes off sort of bunny hopping on her back legs and is so far behind him that she just stops and looks at him then turns to whine at me. Broke my heart ,my once fast girl now so slow.It was as if she was either asking me Why can't I run?You know how fast I am. Or saying Make him stop as I can't catch him.
To weeks ago when My sister was down with her 4 yr old Grandson Jazz wanted to push and tug him around like she did my nephew, Zach as he was 4 when I got her and they played rough together.She seemed to know she could not do it so would stand looking at him with sort of a longing expression on her face like she was remembering all the fun she had with Zack all those years ago.
14 years have passed so fast and it is so sad seeing Jazz unable to do things she once loved to do but I guess I should be happy she is still alive and walking and does not have any major health issues and is now 2 years past her nerve sheath sacroma so is a cancer survivor but that weight of knowing life for her is declining and that our time togther is now short as time keeps speeding past makes me want to cry...maybe it is the lack of sleep as that crazy cat kept me awake all night with his meowing but I just have sort of a heavy heart today after seeing her try to chase Dazzle...ugh!!! My mom was right there is nothing Golden about the Golden years!
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Awwww, those are definitely some sad thoughts and feelings. I can relate to them, albeit to a lesser degree because Artie's only turning 7 next month.
But there's a noticeable difference between the 3.5 year-old Artie that came home with me back in May 2007, to the almost-7-year-old Artie that's lying on the couch in my office now.
He still pulls on his leash, especially when he's in a rush to get to his friends' house around the corner. He still lunges at squirrels that we meet along the way. He still runs around the backyard like a bat out of hell.
But...
He sleeps in a little later on many mornings.
He sleeps quite a bit more during the day, especially when it's raining outside.
He sleeps quite a bit during the evening, not pining to go in the backyard while we're watching some TV.
He's mellower. Well, just a little.
And the hair around his muzzle, particularly the underside of his chin, is grey, which makes me terribly sad.
We have to remember, I suppose, to treasure the time that they're with us, rather than mourning them before they're even gone. I tend to think, "How am I going to get through my days when my buddy is no longer part of them?" but I have to stop myself and thank him for being part of TODAY.
How sad. I've been in those shoes sooo many times and it never gets easier. We've got a house full of geriatrics now that are 'forever fosters'. A 13 year old GSD, an 8 year old HW+ GSD that's on the 'slow treatment', a 9 year old golden / husky girl. I'm sure we won't find them homes so they'll be with us until the end. And of course ours are getting older - our 3 oldest chis are now 9,8 and 7. Still young for a chi, but getting there. And the kind of forever foster rat terrier is 8.
Well there is the other side of the equation.....I recently realized that my younger dog......will probably out live me......and she is definately going to be my last dog. Life seems so abundant...and it is...but it isnt forever.....for any of us.
We all need to treasure the many gifts and try to repay kindness for kindness and pats for tail wags and love for love.
My old boy George, despite finishing his antibiotics for an apparent mouth infection, is refusing to eat (even liquifying kibble with chicken and gravy). OF course, adopting seniors, it comes too often, but I wouldn't want to trade the time I've had with any of my dogs (or the good time they got after a bad earlier life).
And I still worry about outliving them- like getting hit by a truck or something surprising.
Yes, it's hard. It really is. But we're so fortunate to have them when we do.
Have you considered massage therapy? It does wonders for older dogs. Hopping behind sounds like muscle atrophy to me, and massage can help a tremendous amount with something like that.
Dawn I hate to admit it but up until the hair on hs muzzle part you could be describing me ( oh yea the even when it is raining could be changed to even when the sun is out as we do not see much rain)
He sleeps in a little later on many mornings.
He sleeps quite a bit more during the day, especially when it's raining outside.
He sleeps quite a bit during the evening, not pining to go in the backyard while we're watching some TV.
He's mellower. Well, just a little.
And the hair around his muzzle, particularly the underside of his chin, is grey, which makes me terribly sad.
I usally don't think about the fact my girl is old now but that look on her face as she was watching Mr Showoff, Dazzle fly past and then whining about it to me really tugged my sleep deprived heart. I lied to her and told her that in her younger days she could have caught him but that probably is not true as while she was fast she was not this fast as Dazzle flies.
She does get synflex for her hips and I have considered some accupressure treatments but even then she won't be running like she use to love to do as that part of her life is now past.
Of course I have told her from day one that she is going for the record and I do belive it belongs to a cattle dog that lived to be 29 so lets see she has 15 yrs to go, sorry pup I did not know that it would be 15 years of frustration being trapped in an old dogs body!
When my current dogs die, I am going to get seniors. It's hard to only have a short time, but I've had young dogs that died too soon due to disease or a car, so you never know. I'm 68 and feel pretty good, but a puppy that could live to be 15 might outlive me! Now that's a sad thought. I'm just glad they don't know the average sum of their years.
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