Okay, she's not 105

But she's old, lol.

Dog years. Aging. It sucks. The old rule of thumb was 7 human years = one dog year. That has been revamped. Partially because a one year old dog is capable of reproduction while a 7 year old human is not... no kidding.

Whatever, my Hunter is still old. She's over 15 now and I guess, then, that by the chart, she'd be in her mid-80's. Funny. You don't notice the big changes in the first year or two. Well, let's be realistic... you do notice your pup gets bigger, a tad smarter, housebroken and hopefully integrates well into the household. But this all takes place over the first year or two and the time in between that and "old age" is not as dramatic.

However, since telling Hunter in late summer that she could not have the run of the house anymore (she was getting a bit forgetful of where the backdoor was), the changes ARE dramatic. She has AGED. The dog that approached her 15th birthday was old by the calendar, but still spry and aware. The changes in the last few months have taken that spry old dog to a slower, more confused, less aware of her surroundings shadow. It sucks. The path to that final time is FAST. Changes measured sometimes daily rather than by weeks or months.

She goes outside still, but it takes her a loooooong time from her pillow bed to the backdoor and she sometimes gets "lost" in the backyard. She eventually finds the door to come in, but... it's noticeable the change. She doesn't do laps of the yard as much. She doesn't move about the house as much. She doesn't see well, her hearing is almost non-existent and her sense of smell is dulled. She gets incredibly cold, right to her bones, and needs a blanket (loves the "towel blanket"
we drape her with and wears it proudly). But she still looks forward to her food dish (still once a day) and her treats. Oh those treats. Woe to the silly human who forgets that bedtime cookie (and it must be a marrowbone or beef-basted cookie [grin]). She can still get up the "fight" for the right to her bedtime cookie and will throw herself against the glass kitchen door if you forget, lol. Better, too, that you put it on the floor in front of her as that "pacman-like snap" is deadly, lol. And when she does wake up to greet you, that tail still wags, even tho' the body is a little less steady and wobbly, and there is still a slight smile to her face.

She's not ready (and truth-be-told, nor am I) to let go yet.

No, she's not 105, but she's OLD and losing more ground each day. Sigh.

~Shelley