Friday, January 6, 2012

Doggy Dementia





Meet our dog Sam, he's lovely but also driving me a bit nutty. He's old, blind, and deaf. He was someone else's reject dog, a single mum who didn't realise that having a new baby and a puppy was a bit much.  In his heyday  he would run like the wind, keeping pace with a motorbike around the paddock.  He would dive into the ocean and chase rabbits. We called him Mr Softhead (it's very soft) and he was our substitute child when we were both feeling nesty. He got more attention before we had kids but is well loved by us all.


Now he's confused and a bit silly.  He doesn't know what to do with himself and puffs and pants like a locomotive.  He  seems to have forgotten that drinking water and staying in the shade is the best thing to do on a hot day, and gets seriously overheated. Lately he's been banging on the back door for no reason, first he wants in, then he wants out, and he's trying to escape the yard - with more success than I care to say.  He really like's our neighbours and their female dog, who is also getting on.


He's a good exercise in patience and kindness.  After all the years of joy he's given us, it's time to give a little back. You really appreciate the commitment of having a pet when it comes to the end of their life, it's not all licks and doggy smiles.  He's been with us 15 years, the children have always known him as part of the family. He does make me worry with those disappearances and kookiness, but for now he's snoring beside me, sending unpleasant wafts into the air, Sammy!

4 comments:

  1. How lucky was Sam to find a loving home with the Bowerbirds! I think Bella is having a few pensioner moments too. Sometimes she sits at the back sliding door waiting to be let in - she has either forgotten that there is a doggy door in the laundry door or is just too lazy to walk around there!

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  2. This is a really special time for you all. It's beautiful to be able to return the gift of love during his final years that he has given you all so freely as a young and growing pooch. Our cat is 17, deaf and often confused. We've had her since she was a kitten so completely understand where you are coming from. Cherish these moments. xx.

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  3. I wish elderly humans would get treated in the same manner and respect; remembered for the good things

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In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
Margaret Atwood

“She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead.”
― A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young