This is my sweet Gilda.
And she is getting old
and she just can't do it like she used to.
Can you relate?
She spent the day pinning a squirrel in the
freestanding pecan tree between the house and the barn.
She knows that if she gets the squirrel in a freestanding tree
she has a chance at catching it and has caught many a squirrel in her time.
The joy, the hope and the excitement bounded from her in excited yips all afternoon.
Now she is prostrate on the front porch and immobile cause she threw her back out.
Poor old girl.
Her head is all cocked up and to the right
and it is stuck that way.
It will take about 4 days of herbal muscle relaxers and aspirin
before she is back to normal.
Poor old dog.
But she had fun
and that counts for something.
She is my right hand and I love her.
For a city pound dog she sure makes a fine farm dog.
Never has lifted a tooth to a bird or rabbit,
cares for each chick as if it were her own.
She watches over us at night
her bark a clear bell if danger is near.
I have had her for about 8 years.
She scratched on my door on the evening of March 21st, 2000.
She looked up at me and looked into the house and walked
right past me and lay down in front of the couch.
She was still wearing her collar from the Pound.
After the appropriate paperwork, she was mine.
We have hiked a million miles and spent endless days lounging in the sun.
She spent 2 weeks sleeping under Simon's crib when he was born.
Now she sleeps a little too deep sometimes
and it takes her some time to get up.
But once she is up that tail is in constant motion.
Poor old girl.
I love her.
Oh crap.
Now I just want to cry
and go out and give her
about a pound of bacon
or something.
sniff
My old girl is two months shy of 14 -- and she is a big 100-pounder who never "should" have lived this long. She has a pretty big bark and was never shy about using it, and people were worried when we started having kids. My mom was sure that the dog would eat my firstborn! Yet I have photos of all 3 of them riding her like a horse, and she still has a notch in her ear from when my oldest was teething ... We are in the middle of a real cold spell and she is feeling the effects. I don't know if she will last past Christmas. Your post really expressed my feelings, and I thank you for it. For the first time last night she didn't make it in the bedroom to sleep by my bed. She slept by the fire instead. Watching a family member grow old sucks!
ReplyDeleteI have a very, very old cat too. She is almost 17 or something. She is really slowing down too. Sweet husband found a nasty lump in one of her teats so I don't think she will last much longer.
ReplyDeleteI went out and bought her a plush cat bed and laid it beside the woodstove so that she can have a warm and super soft place to spend the rest of her days.
I hope someone gives me a soft bed by the fire when I am old and fading.....