Pooh is declining a bit, her vision seems diminished, we've noticed an intermittent walking issue, and senility seems to be setting in. Very often when I let her out the sliding door and leave it open, she goes to the other sliding door and beagles when she wants back in. I have to call, sometimes yell, to get her to find me at the original, wide open, door. Some days she is anxious and there is nothing that seems to work. Close a drawer. Bark. Set something down on the counter. Bark. Nothing happens at all. Bark. Remember, after each time Pooh barks Wilson sprints around looking to resolve whatever is upsetting her. It is not relaxing, or even safe. We have some Hemp Quiet Moments we've been giving to Pooh occasionally and they seem to settle a rough day. Uncle Chris said anxiety would return as she aged, but we never got the chance to get the details of how we should deal with that. We don't want to medicate her at her age because of possible side effects so we just try to calm her on the "off" days. Wilson seems to have noticed the transition because he has taken over as the guarder, more than ever.
While there are some areas where difficulty has increased, other areas have improved so much it is fascinating. Sometimes Pooh seems to forget she's an anxiety dog and walks right up to visitors to get petted. Mind you, these are not strangers, but they are often people who have never petted her in all the years they've been visiting. The other night Pooh took nearly every one of Wilson's fleece toys out of the toy basket one by one, while my husband, Wilson and I watched in sheer dismay. She has NEVER taken a toy out of the basket. Wilson wasn't thrilled and required a bit of coaching, but I watched in awe, knowing this was like seeing a unicorn. Was I watching an old dog establish her authority or was I watching a dog that simply forgot that she does not play with toys unless they are dispensing food? I have a feeling it was the latter. It's been fascinating to watch her personality evolve, just as I've seen in humans with dementia.
I don't know how much longer our time with Pooh will last, but I will be forever grateful that we brought home this crazy dog. She taught us so much. I hope that we have made her comfortable and done everything we could to help her relax. In the meantime, we'll keep spoiling her rotten, but I have made her stop digging up the flowerbed under the kitchen window. That was just supposed to be a birthday celebration, not a daily occurrence for months!
While there are some areas where difficulty has increased, other areas have improved so much it is fascinating. Sometimes Pooh seems to forget she's an anxiety dog and walks right up to visitors to get petted. Mind you, these are not strangers, but they are often people who have never petted her in all the years they've been visiting. The other night Pooh took nearly every one of Wilson's fleece toys out of the toy basket one by one, while my husband, Wilson and I watched in sheer dismay. She has NEVER taken a toy out of the basket. Wilson wasn't thrilled and required a bit of coaching, but I watched in awe, knowing this was like seeing a unicorn. Was I watching an old dog establish her authority or was I watching a dog that simply forgot that she does not play with toys unless they are dispensing food? I have a feeling it was the latter. It's been fascinating to watch her personality evolve, just as I've seen in humans with dementia.
I don't know how much longer our time with Pooh will last, but I will be forever grateful that we brought home this crazy dog. She taught us so much. I hope that we have made her comfortable and done everything we could to help her relax. In the meantime, we'll keep spoiling her rotten, but I have made her stop digging up the flowerbed under the kitchen window. That was just supposed to be a birthday celebration, not a daily occurrence for months!