Fragile

Rally has noticeably aged the past year. She is still alert, but you can see the stiffness in her joints as she trundles about. Now she spends her day between the dog couch (yes, we really do have a couch just for the dogs) and her crate. When she sleeps it is very deep sleep and it always takes her awhile to wake up.

This is Rally today.

RallyNow
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar.

She no longer does stairs and we have to carry her up and down the three steps from the deck to the back yard. She quickly learned to give a few barks at the bottom of the stairs when she is ready to come back inside.

Rally has never been a high octane dog like Crunch and John, but she has always been a sharp number and who knows what she could have accomplished with opposable thumbs.

This is Rally from a decade ago.

youngRally
Originally uploaded by Teckelcar.

Her other remarkable characteristic was her iron clad stomach. She could eat anything and I do mean anything. One time she ate a bunch of chocolate and I tried to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide. For most dogs one dose will do the trick, after three doses all I got from her was a very small burp and at that point I gave up. But those days seem to be over.

She was not well this weekend and my best guess is that she got a hold of some Valentine’s Day candy. After a brief fast and a slow return to full rations she seems to be much better now.

It looks like Rally has reached that point where we will treasure each day we have with her. It is hard to live with an old dog, but the alternative is even harder.