Having pets, in my case dogs, not only brings a lot of fun, a lot of love and happiness, but also something you don't want to think about right away. And that is, worry. Worrying about your pet because things are not going as it should, worrying because they sometimes don't feel well, and as they get older also worry about their age, and the associated age-related ailments. Because no matter how well you take care of them… we all know they don't have eternal life. And when I look at the dogs here in the house, we have 2 ladies where the years are really starting to count, and the time that they will still be here is considerably shorter than we would like.
Lana is 11 years old, and Myla is 12 years old.
And everyone knows that for a shepherd dog these are really the senior ages, where it is more a matter of counting months, rather than counting the years to come.
Still the obsessed hyper dog
Lana is still doing quite well at 11 years old. She's still that dog in the house who can push really hard, who's incredibly focused, the dog who's just obsessed with a ball. If she has a ball in her mouth then you MUST play with her. No way to get out of that as she just keeps putting the ball right in front of you. Whether you're hanging laundry, doing the dishes, tidying up indoors, vacuuming, or picking weeds outside... the ball is placed in front of you and Lana is fully concentrated and focused staring at the ball from 10 centimeters away. Ready to snatch the ball just in front of your hand, which then accidentally ends up with a finger too. That's a risk that comes with her game. She's also ready to run and jump at full speed to get that ball again...and she can't stop until you let her go back in WITHOUT a ball. That is the moment when she gets some rest in her body again … and so I also have some rest.
I love her even more now than when we adopted her as a pathetic abandoned dog from a shelter
And when she has been lying down for a while, you suddenly notice that it is no longer a young dog. Because when getting up everything is just as stiff and difficult, she visibly has trouble starting up and walking. It takes a minute or so that she walks next to you like a very old dog, but as soon as her muscles have been moving again ... then she is full of fire again for what she prefers to do most of all. And that is joining me in whatever I do. She is no longer the young dog we brought in, but her will to carry on is stronger than the inconveniences. She's becoming an older lady, but after all we've been through with her over the years, I love her even more now than when we adopted her as a pathetic abandoned dog from a shelter. She has learned so much, and she has taught us so much. Her trust in us is infinite, and she is so touching. When she comes to sit with me with her slender body, her small head, with her eyes asking to be cuddled for a while, I melt.
She is an older dog, but a very strong dog in terms of health
Despite the visible discomforts she shows, I am not yet worried about her health. She's far too lively for that. Far too full of fire and far too willing to work. Getting older is not without its inconveniences, and we alleviate this for her where we can. But we don't worry if she'll still be there a year from now. We still have full confidence in that, she is an older dog, but a very strong dog in terms of health.
But then we have Myla.
Myla can now be called a real senior
I'm starting to worry more about her lately. She is of course also a year older than Lana is. At 12 years old, Myla can now be called a real senior. And although Myla still wants to do a lot, you notice that it is really getting less. She's in pain. We just see that in her, and then comes the question of how we can alleviate that for her. We know she has osteoarthritis in her hips, it won't go away and will only get worse. That too is a fact. The question now is how long it can continue to be fun for her. Because suffering every day can't be fun. That's a fact. We can only estimate how much pain she is in… she can't say.
Long walks are now out of the question for her
We do keep a close eye on her. She is getting wobbly on her hindquarters. Her one hind leg no longer always wants to participate in what her head wants. Long walks are now out of the question for her because she just needs 2 days to recover from that. So more often out and shorter walks, and more time in the garden where she can choose whether she wants to run and play with a ball, or whether she wants to lie down quietly to enjoy the rare hours when we see the sun this summer. Taking her out more often and for shorter periods is necessary because getting older also seems to bring a form of incontinence with her. Some days worse than others...
She herself increasingly has to come to the conclusion that she can no longer do what she wants to do
However, whether this incontinence should be attributed purely to her getting older, or whether it is a result of sterilization at a young age, opinions are divided on that. The fact is that Myla also showed some incontinence fairly soon after her sterilization, and this has gone away after a while, but is now coming back. Myla has always been a very active and strong girl… and it hurts to see now she still wants to do all those things in her head, but her body just can't do what her head wants. In Myla's dreams she still runs around like a young dog over the Maashorst, she runs through the loose sand of Herperduin, and she takes a walk of 2 hours and then frolic with Skipper ... How different has reality become for her. As much as she wants to, she herself increasingly has to come to the conclusion that she can no longer do what she wants to do. It hurts me to see this slow aging process accelerate, but it also does a lot for Myla's mood. She's quieter at times, and sometimes she seems actually a bit depressed.
It does bring some tears to my eyes
Recently I started giving her a quarter of paracetamol a day to relieve the pain of the osteoarthritis in her hips.This in consultation with the vet, before people start shouting that you should not give dogs paracetamol. And that seems to be improving. I see her a bit happier and above all a bit more active. She's more like the Myla I've always known and held dear to my heart from the first moment I looked into her eyes as a six-week-old puppy. She's playing again, wants to run after a ball again, and for the first time since we took Skipper in last February, we see Myla playing with him the way she did Lex in the past. It makes me laugh to see that, I enjoy seeing Myla enjoying it so much. I'm thrilled for Skipper to get to know this… a sociable Myla that Skipper has taken close to her heart. At the same time, it does bring some tears to my eyes, because how long can this last? How long can Myla keep this up in a way that it's still fun for her?
You should not be selfish as a dog owner
Seeing Myla continue to do her best, and Lana exactly the same, gives me a few moments every day that I am moved by the willpower of both my girls. That is realizing how loyal dogs are, and how hard they are on themselves. And all because they want to please their owners. But as much as I enjoy my girls, I also keep a close eye on them, because if there is one thing that you as an owner have to take into account. Then it is that you should not be selfish as a dog owner.
The moment you see that it is no longer fun for your dog, that it becomes a task for the dog to stay with you because it is no longer possible in terms of health. Then in most cases you will have to make the difficult decision, and let them go. Letting go in love, and that moment is certainly not here yet, but unfortunately it is approaching faster than I would like to see.
Continue to make great memories
Until then, I'm enjoying my trio to the fullest, and we'll continue to make great memories wherever we can. So that I can look back with a smile on those many beautiful memories when they can no longer be physically with me.