Ode to the Senior Dog
I am a fan of the older dog. I love puppies, I do, but I'm not getting any younger and as I age, my appreciation for older dogs has grown. Three of the four dogs I've been living with for years now are senior dogs. As I've mellowed, they've mellowed.
All of the habits that were annoying when they were little are now endearing, such as Buster's hound dog bark that can make you jump right out of your skin if he sneaks up behind you and lets it go. Where once he ran out to chase anything in the back yard, he now ambles down the ramp and moseys on out into the yard to sniff around a little and do his business.
He is deliriously happy, though, and once in a while, he just feels like running and taking a flying leap up onto the ramp. There isn't much I can do to stop him so I just close my eyes and pray he doesn't break a leg. He hasn't yet.
There are some old dog habits I could do without, like the puddles of drool left on the furniture and the sometimes inability of those old dogs to get outside in time to relieve themselves, leaving a trail of turds from the living room through the kitchen to the back door.
Still, though, they have an agreeable outlook on life. They have let go of past hangups they had like putting up with the younger dogs -- and cats -- all the time.
The bad side to it all is that they are older and they don't live forever. If, like me, you have more than one senior dog, there is the risk that they will all die within a short period of time and that can be heartbreaking.
That is what is happening in my family right now. We just lost big 17-year-old Chuck not long ago and now 13-year-old Abby Lou Who is fighting cancer. Buster is still looking good for his 16 years. We figure he has another year at least but things turn on a dime sometimes.
It's worth it though. There's no better friend than the dog who's been by your side for years and years. If you're lucky, you will know many such dogs during your own life.
All of the habits that were annoying when they were little are now endearing, such as Buster's hound dog bark that can make you jump right out of your skin if he sneaks up behind you and lets it go. Where once he ran out to chase anything in the back yard, he now ambles down the ramp and moseys on out into the yard to sniff around a little and do his business.
He is deliriously happy, though, and once in a while, he just feels like running and taking a flying leap up onto the ramp. There isn't much I can do to stop him so I just close my eyes and pray he doesn't break a leg. He hasn't yet.
There are some old dog habits I could do without, like the puddles of drool left on the furniture and the sometimes inability of those old dogs to get outside in time to relieve themselves, leaving a trail of turds from the living room through the kitchen to the back door.
Still, though, they have an agreeable outlook on life. They have let go of past hangups they had like putting up with the younger dogs -- and cats -- all the time.
The bad side to it all is that they are older and they don't live forever. If, like me, you have more than one senior dog, there is the risk that they will all die within a short period of time and that can be heartbreaking.
That is what is happening in my family right now. We just lost big 17-year-old Chuck not long ago and now 13-year-old Abby Lou Who is fighting cancer. Buster is still looking good for his 16 years. We figure he has another year at least but things turn on a dime sometimes.
It's worth it though. There's no better friend than the dog who's been by your side for years and years. If you're lucky, you will know many such dogs during your own life.
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| Buster at 15 |
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