Young at Heart--Tips from an old dog

Maggie turns 11 today. In dog years that would make her somewhere in her late 70's. How has age changed her? The obvious is that she is no longer a puppy that chews everything in sight, nor a maniac youngster with too much energy. But there are subtle changes as well.

She doesn't run as hard as she used to. As a youngster when she ran, she ran all out, leaping over fallen trees, hurtling down the slope of the retention pond and back up again. Sometimes she would run so hard she would hurt herself. There was no half-speed for her. Her eagerness outdid her reason.Today she enjoys a chance to run, and she gets up some good speed. Her ears flap back and her mouth opens wide into a smile. It still feels so good to her, but it is tempered by reason, experience...and age.

It wasn't so long ago that Maggie was enticed by the crackle of an empty water bottle. It was one of her favorite toys. When she found one, she would grab it and take off with it. We would wait until most of the crackle was gone and then get it back from her before she started swallowing little plastic shards. I've been collecting water bottles for a project at church. They are all over the house. If I give her one, she'll crackle it for awhile, but she hasn't stolen one. Signs of changed interests.

Her 'toy' of choice is one of my slippers. She greets me at the door with them, and can even find them on command. The other day she even had one tucked under her head as she slept. One day Warren decided she should wear them.

 She's good with the grandchildren. Patient, calm, comfortable. And in turn, they are patient, calm, and comfortable around her.

 

Now it's plain to see the closeness of her loved ones has taken precedence to the excitement of toys.

On walks she has always been well-mannered, but there was a constant tug on the end of the leash as we took off. The return trip is always slower though. I've found the fastest way to slow a dog down is to turn around and start heading home. It may seem as though they are tired, but mostly they are just trying to prolong the time outside with their master. Now as we walk, I'm not sure if it is age or just good manners, but even as she trots ahead of me, the leash is never taut.

Maggie still runs sometimes, but she doesn't run as hard or as long as she used to. Mostly she's happy just to walk along side me.

And she really does enjoy her naps.

But the other day I saw a younger Maggie. The day was the promise of the spring to come. The sun was warm, the breeze light. As we took off on our walk her head was up, ears forward. She set a lively pace, eager to get where we were going.  The week had been a dreary one. The weather was cold, and I was busy. The result was a bored dog. But if I think she's getting old, today she reminded me she can still keep me on my toes. She's only as old as I let her be. The more I give her to do, the younger she remains. She reminds me she may be getting old, but she's not ready to be put on the shelf.

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Happy Birthday, Maggie!