My dog that I adopted 16 years ago turned 17 last October. She's 21#, a mix of 7 terriers on one side and on the other, the DNA tester had no clue.
She's literally got thousands of miles on her. We used to hike in the woods behind my house daily, off leash, so a mile for me would be five of more for her. She's been hiking and backpacking all over the Southern Appalachians, was a pal to my kids and a terror to animals, small and not so small.
When I first got her we kept her inside or leashed for two weeks. After that I figured that she knew where home was, so I let her off her leash in the backyard with my kids. After a few minutes, boom, she was off into the woods. My daughter was terrified, but what could I do? And hour later she came back, dragging the thigh bone from a deer.
She was completely unable to walk with a leash and collar, and would strain ahead. A harness fixed that.
She caught several rabbits. I'd skin them and cook them for her. Once I heard crying in the woods, and took off after her to find her dragging a fawn that weighed as much as she did.
I bought her a little backpack for hiking. Weighed down with 5# of rocks, she turned into pack mode, and trucked right along ahead of us.
The miles eventually got the best of both rear legs, ACL injuries. My vet wanted to do surgery, would incapacitate her up for six weeks. I opted for the "do nothing" option, as the former would have surely killed her. So she limps a bit.
She's mostly blind now and almost completely deaf. But the nose still works and the tail still wags.
She's always had table scraps, and I've had her on a fresh food diet for a long time. Chicken thighs, rice made with whey, carrots cooked in chicken broth. That has definitely made her healthier. A raw egg once in a while.
Two years ago she developed some kind of bladder issue. Huge uptake of water and pissing ever 30 minutes, It worried the crap out if her (she doesn't like to make a mistake in the house). My wife diagnosed it, as our Vet had no clue. A $1 pill cut in half every other day manages it.
Our walks now are at most a few hundred feet. Scents along the curb are still Facebook for her.
On Sunday she had a mild seizure while on our walk. She ran a few steps, stopped on the shoulder of the road, tripped then fell over. While on the ground she arched her back in pain, stopped breathing. I stroked her back to try and clam the trembling. After a half minute her breathe restarted. She came to and could barely walk, so I carried her home. Within an hour she was back to normal. Her old self normal anyway.
My wife told me to get myself ready. I am.
She's literally got thousands of miles on her. We used to hike in the woods behind my house daily, off leash, so a mile for me would be five of more for her. She's been hiking and backpacking all over the Southern Appalachians, was a pal to my kids and a terror to animals, small and not so small.
When I first got her we kept her inside or leashed for two weeks. After that I figured that she knew where home was, so I let her off her leash in the backyard with my kids. After a few minutes, boom, she was off into the woods. My daughter was terrified, but what could I do? And hour later she came back, dragging the thigh bone from a deer.
She was completely unable to walk with a leash and collar, and would strain ahead. A harness fixed that.
She caught several rabbits. I'd skin them and cook them for her. Once I heard crying in the woods, and took off after her to find her dragging a fawn that weighed as much as she did.
I bought her a little backpack for hiking. Weighed down with 5# of rocks, she turned into pack mode, and trucked right along ahead of us.
The miles eventually got the best of both rear legs, ACL injuries. My vet wanted to do surgery, would incapacitate her up for six weeks. I opted for the "do nothing" option, as the former would have surely killed her. So she limps a bit.
She's mostly blind now and almost completely deaf. But the nose still works and the tail still wags.
She's always had table scraps, and I've had her on a fresh food diet for a long time. Chicken thighs, rice made with whey, carrots cooked in chicken broth. That has definitely made her healthier. A raw egg once in a while.
Two years ago she developed some kind of bladder issue. Huge uptake of water and pissing ever 30 minutes, It worried the crap out if her (she doesn't like to make a mistake in the house). My wife diagnosed it, as our Vet had no clue. A $1 pill cut in half every other day manages it.
Our walks now are at most a few hundred feet. Scents along the curb are still Facebook for her.
On Sunday she had a mild seizure while on our walk. She ran a few steps, stopped on the shoulder of the road, tripped then fell over. While on the ground she arched her back in pain, stopped breathing. I stroked her back to try and clam the trembling. After a half minute her breathe restarted. She came to and could barely walk, so I carried her home. Within an hour she was back to normal. Her old self normal anyway.
My wife told me to get myself ready. I am.
They do become such a big part of us, and leave a big void behind when they go.
