Lifespan

Jen

Jen

Stanley is our first dog and first Labrador.

He’s 8 now. I try not to think about it because I instantly get a really tight feeling in my chest.

So far, he’s doing really well. No arthritis yet or anything but he is slowing down. He’s fine, but the boisterous energy that was once there all the time we only get glimpses of now.

It makes me even sadder because I’m not sure we’ll get another dog. Our lives are much busier now we are so stretched, while that’s fine for Stanley because he just fits in and is happy as long as you’re near, we definitely don’t have time to do a puppy justice.
 
Emily

Emily

Location
Melbourne, Australia
Jen said:
It makes me even sadder because I’m not sure we’ll get another dog. Our lives are much busier now we are so stretched, while that’s fine for Stanley because he just fits in and is happy as long as you’re near, we definitely don’t have time to do a puppy justice.
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Yes, this is exactly us too. Ella is 9 now and our lives are crazy.

We have work, school, kinder, basketball, footy, swimming, golf and all of the other running around. There is no way I'd be thinking of adding another dog in the mix.

We'll just love Ella and make the most of any time we have with her.
 
Jacqui-S

Jacqui-S

Moderator
Location
Fife, Scotland
I've been thinking about Spencer (who is 6 Today!) and Terry in the context of lifespan, and working life.
Terry has of course become very visible and I know its a blow to lose a pet dog, but I have been thinking of the consequences of losing a guide dog, either through retirement or illness.
Can't really comprehend this knowing what such a difference Spencer has made to Terry. I hope he is rematch quickly when the time comes.
Thinking again about marvellous puppy walkers @Boogie too.
Have a tremendous amount of respect too for Dean supporting Terry. A case of looks being deceptive perhaps :giggl::$.
 
Candy

Candy

Biscuit Tin Guardian
Location
West Yorkshire, UK
A friend of mine who has become a Guide Dog owner due to deterioration in his eyesight and hearing is now on his second Guide Dog. He and his wife kept the first one when she retired as they couldn't even think of parting with her. They told me that it took her about six months to work out that she no longer needed to look after Les, but the 'looking after ' habit appears to be completely ingrained in her, so now she looks after the younger Guide Dog instead.:heart: Joy and I walk with them quite regularly and it's lovely to watch them. Needless to say, they are both absolutely gorgeous dogs and Joy loves them Veryvery much.
 
M

M.F.

I can’t imagine how devastating it must be for both the dog and the human when a guide dog retires and then is rehomed. Although we have friends whose blind mother could no longer give her dog the life he needed (walks mainly) when she moved into a care facility for blind people. The dog went to a good friend, and she gave him a wonderful retirement with 3 other labs. The mother got to visit her dog and they still had a very special connection. I wonder, though, if this is the exception and that blind people who can’t care for more than one dog at a time never get to be with their faithful friend again?

I can’t imagine Terry giving up Spencer when Spencer retires. Anyway, he’d hardly take up any room when you consider their giant pet dog Syd!!
 
JES72

JES72

Location
SW London UK
Homer was just 11 when he started getting sick. Up until then he was so healthy and fit there was no sign of anything and we thought he’d go on forever. He would have died while having his spleen removed if it wasn’t for the excellent vet team who are still amazed they managed to bring him back. He hung on for another year and went a month before turning 12.
I still feel he went too soon but reading all the post 11 - 12 years is probably what to expect.
 
MellowYellow

MellowYellow

Yeah. Poppy is 12 years and 2 months old. Today is actually the anniversary of the day we picked her up in Wiltshire and drove her all the way back to Germany with us! So I think that every day is a bonus from now on, and every day I make sure to show her how much I love her, and I tell her every day how beautiful she is and that we are so happy she is part of our family :)
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
HAH said:
All of these dogs represent so much love, both from them and for them. And they'll have all influenced how we grow, and how we live with our current and future dogs too - it's part of the great doggy web that is bigger than all of us!
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This is a tough thread to read because no matter how long a dog lives, it's never enough and after you've lost a dog, you can't help but feel empathy when seeing all those who have meant so much to other humans. Thank you for reminding me of the why and that it's not just sad reading about all our dogs who aren't here anymore, but remembering what they meant to us and still mean to us.

I can't imagine my life without my dogs - even though it near kills us when they go - and I know everyone here feels the same. Sending out a big collective hug to us all.

:hug:
 
MellowYellow

MellowYellow

MellowYellow said:
So sad all these lovely dogs...

Billy was nearly 16 (he was a labrador / brittany spaniel cross - they are very long-lived apparently)
Bones had just turned 13 - he was one of those dogs who are fine in the morning, actually butt tucking in the garden, and in a coma by the evening. Liver failure.
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Just checked - Bones had actually just turned 14, he was born on Boxing Day and died on New Year's Eve 14 years later.
 
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