Okay, so, I haven’t been around much. To tell the truth, I just haven’t had the stomach for politics for a long time. (I can handle it in small doses, when filtered through The Daily Show.) But during those times that my life, to be blunt, sucks, I tend to actively avoid reading stories that could make feel worse.
But I knew there were some animal lovers around these parts, so I wanted to share this. Brady, who I have dubbed the Best Dog in the World, is pretty much falling apart before my eyes.
Okay, he’s over 13 years old, which I know is already pretty old for a larger dog. But this is still HARD. He’s been there for me through so much. And it’s not “time to make the hard decision” yet–have been through that before with other pets. He still enjoys life, though. Still raids the trash when the opportunity presents itself, still enjoys walks–at his own pace.
But he’s gotten pretty “labor intensive”. For the past several years, I have seen him gradually become more disabled–basically, his back end doesn’t work so well. Hard to get up. When he does stand, it can be hard for him to balance. And it’s hard for me to figure out if he actually needs to “go”–and I need to rush him outside–or if he’s just standing weird.
Since he is MY dog, and the rest of the family basically tolerates him, I do what I can to avoid any “accidents”. So, a lot of the time when I take him outside, he doesn’t actually need to go.
It’s been exhausting–more so in the past few weeks, when I was already recovering from a 5 day stay in the hospital. But I owe it to him–he’s been good to me.
Lately, the biggest challenge is getting him to eat enough. He wants to eat, but his back legs keep giving way from under him. New challenges to figure out…I usually can get him to eat. I just have to catch him when he’s ready.
Sorry if this was kind of long and rambling, but I’m sure there’s someone out there who’s been through this, and it would help if I could feel a little less alone in this.
Renee, thanks so much for sharing Brady with us. You are definitely not alone. They are excellent companions and always seem to know what we need at a given time. It’ll be two years soon that I lost Bud and I miss him every day.
I have another basset now who’s found her way to my heart; it’s just one of those life vulnerabilities we put ourselves through to share love – and what a great gift it is.
Renee, it is good to see you reappear here. Of course you are not alone – we all share your despair.
There is something so unfair, it seems, about the short lifespan of dogs, that we have to accept.
I’ve been though the loss with four of the best dogs in the world. The fifth had to let me go, when I needed more help than she did – she went on to serve another, and gladly accepted her future duty.
If Brady is still walking and raiding the trash, he is still living and keeping you company. This decline of vitality is the hardest thing we have to go through, but with love it can be done. Don’t worry – you’ll know when he’s ready to go.
I’ll ask my dearly departeds to be on the lookout for Brady when his time comes.
Thanks. The past couple days have been worrisome because Brady has such a hard time remaining standing–it’s rough to watch him trying again and again to eat something but keep falling down.
I’m hoping this is a temporary thing–and it very easily could be. He’s had a very gradual decline over the past several years, due to a degenerative neurological condition. There are good days and bad days, and I’ve just decided to be intentional about watching him and letting him teach me what he needs from me right now. I’ve learned how to help him up stairs. I’ve learned how to lift him when that is the best option.
Something I realized not too long ago is that I do way too much multitasking in my life, and it isn’t good for me. So, when I take Brady out for a walk, I’m doing something good for ME too–I’m allowing myself the “luxury” of doing only one thing at a time.
Shy Maggie came home with Mrs. ID back in the early 80s, because she thought a firefighter should have a proper fire dog. We didn’t have to teach her to heel, she stuck to us with an invisible bond of friendship and taught us the true meaning of “doggin’ ya”. Near the end of her life, we struggled to keep her going, despite Crohn’s, diabetes and tumors, but eventually she left us one night at the foot of our bed, where she slept to be near us. She left an undying legacy of love. So sorry you’re having to go through this, Renee. I know how painful it is.
Before I forget, here’s the background with regard to how I ended up in the hospital. And I am doing better now. One of the most frustrating things about the experience was how long I spent utterly immobilized. I arrived at the hospital via the emergency room on Monday, and Friday morning–the day I was to be released–I was still wearing a little wristband indicating that I was not allowed to get up without assistance.
The only reason I mention this now, is because it sets the background to an interesting experience with Brady once I got home. It kind of amused me that, because I was working on coming to terms with my own mobility again, Brady and I were actually pretty well matched in our walking ability. The big difference was that he wanted to walk a lot more than I did! I took him out front for a late night potty break, and when I tried to guide him back to the house, he balked. So I decided, “Okay, let’s see where you want to go…” and I let him lead.
In retrospect, not one of my better ideas. If I had it to do over again, I would have had the sense to bring my water bottle. Because Brady just could not get enough of sniffing the air, exploring, occasionally stopping to stand at attention, perk his ears up, sniff the air again…
Basically, I realized that there’s a lot of stuff that Brady still wants to do–things he missed doing–but I hadn’t realized it. I needed a lesson in patience, apparently.
Thanks for posting this diary. I had almost forgotten about what a blessing life with a dog can be.
I hope you and Brady will have many more good days together.
Renee, one of the most difficult decisions in life is when to say goodbye to an old friend, a loyal family member, which many dogs come to be. It is made all the more difficult by the attachment and long dependencies created over the years.
All I can suggest is that when you begin to cry, it may be time to let go. Otherwise, good luck with him.
All my sympathies, Renee. I know only too well what you are going through as I have been through with BJ (age 16), Nugeli (age 10), Puck (age 11), Hopeful (age 14), and, just last year, Giddy (age 15).
All I can say is that each of them — and our our current two: Sniff (age 9) and Bebo (age 4) — have enriched our lives, brought us love and laughs and good company. I wouldn’t trade a second of their lives with us to escape the sadness of their passing. It’s all part of a truly grand bargain.
For whatever it’s worth, I have some elderly animals in my house as well, and lost a couple feline friends from Feline Leukemia late last decade. It is difficult to watch any living being go from being vibrant to having difficulties. Our eldest dog is going to turn 11 next summer. He is a 70-lb Brittany Spaniel. Great guy who has had a good run. But he has a harder time getting around, and a harder time getting comfy at night. Our eldest cat I usually say that every day she stays alive she pleasantly surprises me. It’s tough.