Dexter’s more clingy than he used to be. He seeks comfort more often, especially when something unexpected changes in his world. The last time we brought him back from the kennel he loves, he sat between us and howled in delight while we scratched him.
The couch is starting to be a challenge. There was a time when he could jump five feet vertically from a sitting start. Now he has to take a run to get up on the couch, and the bed would be impossible without steps.
Winters are harder on his back. He’s been on Rimadyl for a few years now, but he’ll have trouble getting comfortable when the drug wears off, and it will take him a long time to curl up and nest himself Just So.
His face has gone white.
He’s not as active as he once was. He still knows how to herd/annoy/hassle us when he wants a walk, and he still attempts to bend us to his doggie will, but he stops trying after a while when his desired goal isn’t being reached.
I worry about the next bit. Old dogs can grow senile or get dementia. He’s never been a terribly social dog as it is, and if he starts to turn against people, we’ll have to have a difficult conversation.
Jacks typically live to about 15, if they avoid untimely incidents, and Dexter is 12 now. He’s been a great dog. I just don’t want time to simply march right over him.
Previously: Today’s ‘special’ headline | Hokum home
Dear Randy,
Came across your blog post about Verizon vs Cox while looking into the pros and cons, thank you for that, but was moved to comment on your post about your dog Dexter having just gone through the inevitable heartbreak of every dog lover. Though I’ve had a few dogs over the years, I’ve never lost one to kidney failure before. In this case, it snuck up on our beagle Xena at 13, and the stiffness and slowness we (and our vet) attributed to arthritis was really the progressive kidney pain. By the time the urinary problems showed up it was too late. A baseline blood test every year would have caught it. Hope you have many good times ahead with your friend.