When I wrote about Angel and Wolfy in June, Angel, the older by two years, was beginning to fail, and it seemed as though Wolfy wasn't far behind. And after Angel was gone, Wolfy seemed to decline a little more. But that turned out to be temporary.
Wolfy, I'm happy to tell you, is thriving as Only Dog. He enjoys all the treats and toys that our dominant-to-a-fault Briard never allowed him to have when they shared the house. He soaks up (or, more likely, tolerates) my baby-talk. On our walks, he gets to travel at his own pace. He no longer trashes the pantry or exhibits any other sign of depression or anxiety.
One very welcome change, from my standpoint, is that he has stopped having so many accidents in the house. Most days he "holds it" during the seven hours I'm away at work. Ditto overnight. This is wonderful! I may be deluding myself, but I think the house is beginning to smell better.
I'm not without concerns, of course. He is 14, after all. One big worry is that he loves our walks more than anything—more than dinner, even, some days. But winter is coming, and I don't anticipate being able to walk him then. Our dirt road will become an ice road, and I try to avoid situations where I'm likely to fall. Also, as many of you know, I have wicked Raynaud's. Two of my fingernails are just starting to look halfway normal after nail-bed damage from last year's cold. Most winter days I don't even like to open an outside door unless absolutely necessary.
So......when the weather turns I'll let Wolfy out by himself on a 30-ft lead, and hope the yard doesn't ice over like the road. With his bad arthritis, it wouldn't be good to slip. No walks......what will this do to Wolfy's quality of life? I don't know. I had said I wouldn't put him through another winter, but that was before he started doing so well. I took this picture of him this afternoon. Doesn't he look beautiful?
8 comments:
He does indeed.
I wondered about Wolfy -- but didn't want to ask. He looks great in the photo. Glad he's taken a turn for the better!
Could you get a treadmill? It's not a walk in the Irish rain, or the back woods, but it is excercise.
Nice thought, MM, but I don't think it's the exercise Wolfy craves; it's the sniffing. :-)
Thanks, Dona and IB!
What if you were to leave dirty socks and undergarments, and maybe the odd dead squirrel, strategically hidden throughout the house?
What?? After I cleaned last . . . er . . . month?
He is a beauty, in a most masculine way. Maybe Wii (or whatever it is) can, or already has, invented a dog-walking game where the dog will actually feel like they're out in the great outdoors.
Such good news about Wolfy!Reminds me of some long-married couples where one spouse dies and the other, instead of going into a decline, starts to blossom.
I've got winter issues staring me in the face as well, with Lexi (only 11, but terribly arthritic).
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