I know that several of our lovely forum dogs are slowly entering, or are already in, their golden years... Poppy will turn 12 this year (in March), and I know there are several others who will hit this milestone too - Rourke, Harley, Snowie... as well as others who are older. I often think that 12 is a real turning point for labradors; once they reach 12 they are definitely seniors, and life changes for them, and for us.
Poppy is doing well I think; obviously she has her health issues (epilepsy and elbow dysplasia), but we are managing both and touch wood she seems happy and is pretty mobile all things considered. This morning she happily trotted along with Merlin and me for an hour in the forest, but this afternoon she will stay at home when Merlin goes out for his second walk and will just have a sniff and a pee in the garden. Then we will go out again for 15 minutes at around 5pm. Her eyesight and hearing are both still excellent - when she wants them to be. Sometimes she acts as though she can't hear me calling, but she can hear the rustle of a crisp packet from the other end of the house...
She still lives for any sort of retrieving, and we always say that while Merlin enjoys retrieving, it is actually what life is all about for Poppy, so we do a little bit of dummy work with her once or twice a week. This is just for her emotional and mental well-being, as we know it is not really very good for her elbow, so it mostly involves us hiding a couple of dummies deep in the leaf mould and letting her search for them. This makes her so happy - she is a changed dog when she is working; so sharp and concentrated; she seems rejuvenated. We don't do any throwing or longer retrieves for her, because she would definitely go full tilt and would limp afterwards, but we can't deny her a bit of fun so the compromise is using her nose and searching. She is so proud when she finds the dummy, and I no longer insist on any rules with her, so she is allowed to carry the dummy home, or even bury it in the woods if she wants to - whatever makes her happy!!
She's lying on the couch by me as I write, with Merlin on my other side. Dear little Poppy, she's such an odd little character - we call her The Enigma - aloof at times, very cuddly and affectionate at others. Firm with Merlin, but at the same time protective of him - if ever she thinks he is going to get into trouble with another dog she starts getting all flirty and runs around encouraging the other dog to play with her, to distract attention from him. I find this terribly endearing! We indulge her more than we ever used to, because she is such a good girl anyway, and because I think she deserves it, and because... well, who knows how long we will have her? January is seizure month for Pops, always a bit of a worrying time.
We love her so much, and I am just grateful for every day that we have with her.
Poppy is doing well I think; obviously she has her health issues (epilepsy and elbow dysplasia), but we are managing both and touch wood she seems happy and is pretty mobile all things considered. This morning she happily trotted along with Merlin and me for an hour in the forest, but this afternoon she will stay at home when Merlin goes out for his second walk and will just have a sniff and a pee in the garden. Then we will go out again for 15 minutes at around 5pm. Her eyesight and hearing are both still excellent - when she wants them to be. Sometimes she acts as though she can't hear me calling, but she can hear the rustle of a crisp packet from the other end of the house...
She still lives for any sort of retrieving, and we always say that while Merlin enjoys retrieving, it is actually what life is all about for Poppy, so we do a little bit of dummy work with her once or twice a week. This is just for her emotional and mental well-being, as we know it is not really very good for her elbow, so it mostly involves us hiding a couple of dummies deep in the leaf mould and letting her search for them. This makes her so happy - she is a changed dog when she is working; so sharp and concentrated; she seems rejuvenated. We don't do any throwing or longer retrieves for her, because she would definitely go full tilt and would limp afterwards, but we can't deny her a bit of fun so the compromise is using her nose and searching. She is so proud when she finds the dummy, and I no longer insist on any rules with her, so she is allowed to carry the dummy home, or even bury it in the woods if she wants to - whatever makes her happy!!
She's lying on the couch by me as I write, with Merlin on my other side. Dear little Poppy, she's such an odd little character - we call her The Enigma - aloof at times, very cuddly and affectionate at others. Firm with Merlin, but at the same time protective of him - if ever she thinks he is going to get into trouble with another dog she starts getting all flirty and runs around encouraging the other dog to play with her, to distract attention from him. I find this terribly endearing! We indulge her more than we ever used to, because she is such a good girl anyway, and because I think she deserves it, and because... well, who knows how long we will have her? January is seizure month for Pops, always a bit of a worrying time.
We love her so much, and I am just grateful for every day that we have with her.
Heart wrenching. But you’ve articulated so much what I feel, too.
in the house. Mostly when she is excited or when she wakes in the morning, sometimes overnight. Thankfully she usually has a "kick able" poo but it's lovely waking to the smell of 
. Stubborn.
). He still has lots of energy and is going on our training walks for our Camino with just as much, if not more, pep than we have, sometimes 
