8/11/09 This morning Black Jack was up for his walk. It now takes him almost an hour to walk about 3 long blocks. In his younger days he was a 'force to be reckoned with' as a walker--always out in the lead (and Katie Lou always followed). He would have walked to the end of the earth at top speed just for the fun of it and to be with me. Speaking of Katie--what a silly sight we were with Jack in the lead, Katie bringing up the rear and me in the middle with leashes extended as far as they'd go.. Amazing what we adjust to... We were okay until another dog approached and Black Jack wanted to play while Katie was ready for a good fight! That was probably an even funnier sight to witness.
Back in 1991 along with the ill-advised purchase of a boarding/grooming kennel, came the a line of Lhasa Apsos. Ignorant of keeping a line 'pure' I agreed to breed a customer's beloved Benji, a Silky mix, with our eldest breeder, Sassy. The intent was to give Benji's offspring to a dear friend, but that friend wasn't able to take him after all, for which I'm now very grateful! Benji was reported to have lived a very long and active life as his son is doing. Sassy was 10 years old when she gave birth to Black Jack and his sister, so she was a very strong & healthy little gal, too.
Amendment to the day...a bit of in and out of bed last night, but more about that later...
8/10/09 I got Jack all ready for his walk yesterday morning and it was obvious that he just didn't want to go this time. Since I consider his walk a fun thing for him besides being good exercise, I don't push these days. Since he didn't use up that energy, he also only ate (or I should say 'lapped up') a few bites if his breakfast before his 6+ hour nap! Yes, weeks ago I was at my wit's end one evening to the point of crying when before I could go to bed I had to scrub not only the kitchen floor but the wall where he eats because he didn't seem to be able to keep his food in his mouth and was sort of 'chasing' it if that makes any sense--and boy does dried canned dog food stick like glue (he decided to give up the dry food he'd eaten all his life a few months before)! The next morning I had the brilliant idea that if missing or bad teeth (a possibility since putting him under at his age to address a tooth issue would be prohibitive) were no longer allowing him to keep the food in his mouth then why not try blending the food to make it easier on him and also help me maintain my sanity. I continue to find it strange that he can't or won't eat his dry dog food but can still chew on a moderately hard jerky chew. I danced a jig of joy when the blended meals WORKED! So the 'Magic Bullet' now gets lots of extra use--sure glad my daughter and her guy gave it to me as a gift.
Somehow after posting my first Aging with a Canine blog entry yesterday I felt a great sense of satisfaction/fulfillment that I had accomplished some good 'work'. Frankly I haven't felt quite that good in a while. Interesting how our animals help guide us through our lives, as Jack so wisely put it a while back... He indicated that he's thrilled when I step into my strength--centered, balanced, confident, and moving forward--and commit to doing what I love as well as doing what is right for me. He likes how my energy and aura changes when I'm in that place. So no doubt that's exactly what I was feeling. Can anyone imagine better support than that?!
8/8/09
"In partnership with an aging dog"a warrior's red/black,
brown, tan and gray when the fearful small self appears,
and finally the purple, blue, green, a bit of orange/rose, and silver of the confident self
--fascinating this being in partnership with a canine.
This poem in part is words from the mouth of my little man/dog, Black Jack, when he was describing me 5 years ago at age 12 1/2. Now somehow they seem fitting for him, too, as we work our way through his 'golden' years together.
I just came from the movie Julie & Julia. Earlier the clerk as I purchased senior dog food to blend for Jack's meals commented that all dogs are considered senior beyond about the age of 7. Now I'm inspired to not only use this blog to share our experiences for the benefit of others who might also be facing some of the same things, but also for my own benefit in expressing some of my own feelings about it. In addition, my Katie Lou got her tribute after she passed over two years ago and so Black Jack gets his before he decides to leave.
Time out while I go fetch Jack from the corner he wandered into--will see if he's ready for a nap yet...
1 comment:
So Black Jack and Mollie have another trait in common. I told my new vet that she is a 'proactive nipper'. He had never heard that term before. I was warning him and it just popped out. Dog-lovers don't want to believe me when I warn them not to pet Mollie. I understand their discomfort at not being able to pet a dog. I also understand when they think "I wouldn't keep a dog that bit". I have said it myself until I realized that that was exactly what I was doing. Mollie had been found in the woods tangled in vines by a couple who then put a photo on the vet's bulletin board. We had just lost our beloved Cricket after only 3 years to a run-in with the mail truck. We were still mourning but were ready to fill the hole in our home. When Mollie snapped as I picked her up upon meeting, I really didn't think anything of it because I was a stranger to her. We kept thinking she would stop when she realized she was loved and that we would never hurt her. Now, she has been my companion too long to even consider that action. We have a 'ladies agreement'. I don't try to pick her up without her muzzle unless she wants to go where I want her to go: in the car or onto the grooming table. That's about it. I do miss a cuddly dog though and she has never and will never be one. There are times when she asks for scratches and I gladly oblige. On the other hand, she has always had a tender mouth when taking food from a hand. Animals stretch us in many ways. Jeanne
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