Senior Dogs

I am of the opinion that dogs are a gift that humanity simply does not deserve. While there are some dog breeds I have mixed feelings about, I’ve come to accept that you can’t judge an entire breed based on one bad experience with a dog—Wow, kind of like people that way! Sorry, I just had to—Almost everyone gushes over puppies, but I want to give tribute to the seniors in our lives. I have two dogs, a Boxer and a Shih-Tzu, Leyna and Lilly—and no, I’m not sure what our obsession with names beginning in L is—. I’m not going to lie, they are really old; Leyna is the ripe old age of 11 ½ while Lilly is quickly approaching 17. 

They have been a part of my life and my family for almost as long as I can remember. They don’t play much anymore and they don’t get around as well as they used to. They have the typical health problems that come with old age and then some. Almost two years ago Leyna, the Boxer, was diagnosed with cancer and we had to get her leg amputated to stop it from spreading, she gets along just fine, except she sometimes slips and falls jumping off the couch onto the linoleum floor. Lilly is blind and Leyna has gone mostly deaf within the past few years. While they may not get around as well as they used to and Lilly may have frequent accidents, I wouldn’t ever trade them for anything; we have simply needed to adjust to these changes. They are a part of my family and they have been there through the best and hardest of times. My niece calls Lilly her mom and growing up they were inseparable (actually they are exactly one year apart, with my niece being born on the same month and the same day a year before Lilly). The breeder we got Lilly from gave her to us way too early, we even had to pay her to keep her for another week because she initially wanted to give her to us at 3 weeks old. We gave her frozen fruit and peas while she was teething and she would lick tear off our faces when we would cry. We got Leyna shortly after my niece was attacked by a pit-bull, she had developed a slight fear of larger dogs after the experience and being around Leyna helped her to move on from that fear. Leyna has always been a clingy, oversized lap-dog. They have distinct personalities and quirks that I love.  

I’ve heard a lot about people euthanizing or abandoning dogs simply because they are old and are beginning to experience natural health issues related to old age. Suddenly, their dog is no longer entertaining and viewed as a burden. When you bring a dog, cat, or any other animal home you are making a promise to take care of them. They aren’t objects for entertainment, but rather they are meant to be companions. Most people wouldn’t just abandon a family member or friend simply because they are getting older, or at least no one with common decency wouldn’t do that; so, why does it seem like so many people abandon their dogs when they need them the most? This isn’t to say that eventually your friend may not have to be put down, at the age my dogs are I realize that they don’t have many years ahead of them, but I want to make sure that the years they do have are comfortable and that they knew they are loved. So, here is to senior dogs, the ones who have been our companions for many years, the ones who automatically know when we are upset, our truest friends, and most loyal companions.

Lilly taking a snooze

Leyna looking pitiful.

Aww, big baby.

More snoozes