Old Dogs Bring Smiles

I was recently visiting a pet sitting client to pick up their contributions for the Presents 4 Pets drive. I hadn’t had the opportunity to take care of Jake, their 12 year old golden retriever in a while, and asked how he was doing. “Ornery, as usual,” replied my client with a smile.

That got me to thinking about how often our 18 ½ year old beagle mutt makes me grin and why she has that effect on me. Mostly, I think I’m just so happy that Tootsie Roll has been with us for 18 ½ years, a very long dog life.

I smile at her ability to live in the moment. It sometimes pains us to watch life become more of a struggle for her, but she just keeps adjusting and moving on. She can’t climb steps anymore, so she stands at the bottom of the staircase and barks until someone carries her upstairs. Sometimes she doesn’t feel up to her daily exercise regimen of walking from the backyard to the frontyard. If not, she’ll peek in through the patio door and bark until someone opens it for her. She isn’t saddened by her diminished capacity, she doesn’t think about what she used to be able to do – she just lets us know that she wants help, and she wants it now!

I smile when she tries so hard to be her old self. She has occasional accidents in the house now, but more often than not, she has them while making her way to the doggie door. We fashioned a step out of a storage container so she can more easily get up on the couch. However, I often find her with front feet on the couch cushion and just not able to get the back feet to join them. Smiling, I give her a little boost. Whatever the obstacle she comes up against, whatever the task she’s no longer able to accomplish, she maintains her sweet personality, gives it her best and calls for us if assistance is required.

 I smile, with a little tear in my eye, when I remember what she was like in her younger days. I miss the puppy who ate our family room furniture. I miss the dog who climbed up on our deck railing to get out of the yard. Just once more, I wish I could watch her run and play in the conservation area behind our house.

I smile, because through it all, she continues to smile. I’ve always referred to her as the sweetest dog in the world, and she is still that dog after all these years and the challenges that now face her