We always want to deny our pooches are aging. For the past couple of years, Miss M has remained 4, and Mr. B has always been 5. It wasn't until someone asked us their ages, the other day, that we realized we had been living in a time warp.
Our lives with the pooches had always seemed the same, but then I started noticing a couple of gray-brindle hairs on Miss M's eyebrow.
Though Mr. B is already gray, he has been aging more like the 'Velveteen Pitbull'. Much like
the rabbit in the beloved book, we noticed Mr. B is becoming a bit more worn.
The fur on his elbows has worn off:
The ends of his ears are becoming tattered and frayed:
And the hair on his nose has rubbed away from being petted:
But just like the Skin Horse so wisely explains in the book:
this is what happens when you are loved for a long, long time.
What a beautiful post. Ranger definitely has a lot of white where he didn't used to. And I really hate the thought of either of them getting older. But this is a wonderful way to think about it.
ReplyDeleteMayzieMom
this is such a great post. thanks for sharing, have a great weekend!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.twogradstudentsandapittie.blogspot.com
I think they are aging quite well! They are definitely loved...no doubt about that!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great post, and such gorgeous pups!! Emmett is starting to have white everywhere, which is so bizarre to me because he's only four. Except he's not! I just think of him as four, but somehow he turned 7+. But I love, love your Velveteen Rabbit reference. Will keep that last quote in mind!
ReplyDeleteYup two well loved pups :P Kind of like crows feet on peeps from too much smilin and laughin ;D
ReplyDeleteWaggin at ya,
Roo
They are aging very gracefully :)
ReplyDeleteBaily and Mesa are also aging like the velveteen rabbit
ReplyDeleteKari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
Just keep in ming that Sarge the Elderbull is 16.75 years old and still romancing the ladies, going to his job as a humane educator, and hamming it up. If you don't know Sarge already, look him up on google or facebook. You will seriously love him!
ReplyDeleteWith all the crap going on here now, that actually made me cry.
ReplyDeleteWhen Charlie hit 8 I nearly had a meltdown. 10 was a whole other story. And this morning he slowed down at the park after 20 minutes when he used to play for hours and still have energy to play tug.
Ms. M and Mr. B look really good. (How old are they now?) They look fit and healthy and well loved.
Oh, we like that! Stanzie is feeling better about being 9 now, Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWyatt and Stanzie
Very sweet post! And I like Roo's comment :-) Aging spots like that are just prove of a well loved pooch!
ReplyDelete-Corbin
I love that analogy! It fits our Lilac really well, too! It is hard to see them getting older, no doubt about that!
ReplyDeleteSo true. I don't think those pups could be loved any better or any more!
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Velveteen Rabbit analogy for Mr. B, though like the story it made me tear up. As animal parents we love hard and it shows through on our animals (missing furs on noses from too many pets...really how sweet is that).
ReplyDeleteNow all I want to do is go home right this second and give all my fur babies hugs and tell them they can't get ANY older!
Awww. just wanted you to know I look forward to seeing the pooches photos everyday, even though I have my own pit bull to gaze lovingly at and obsess over her graying face!
ReplyDeleteThey are so special (and obviously ageless!).
Alison at The Other Winnie Cooper
http://theotherwinniecooper.blogspot.com/
What a beautiful post! The pooches still look young to me! Pip is very much like the old skin horse - lots of grey fur. He also has quite a few warts. The vet says they are common in older dogs. We don't notice them, but sometimes when other people pet him they seems startled by his warts.
ReplyDeletePoor Miss M ...that bite must have hurt. Were you at Montrose Beach? That's where we were. I have since heard that there have been quite a few problems there with irresponsible owners and unleashed dogs.
So so sweet.
ReplyDeleteI've recently been coming to terms with Melanie's age. She's a "senior" dog now, but in my eyes she's always been "the baby." When we rescued her, she was the youngest we had, and now she's getting old! She has those same worn spots from all the love over the years.
They sure are aging gracefully! I sure look forward to seeing their little faces everyday! Quick question, how did you set up to have follow up comments e-mailed directly back to you? Thanks A and E, you guys are my go to for blogger, pittie, pooches in general questions :)
ReplyDeleteThis is an adorable post. Age kind of sneaks up on all of us, doesn't it? I love the way Lucky is aging. At about age 12 now, he has these most distinguished white eyebrows that he did not have when younger!
ReplyDeleteNice post. We must be loved a whole lots too
ReplyDeleteBenny & Lily
Oh- that is a beautiful line. Such a nice post :)
ReplyDeleteSo cute!
ReplyDeleteHow old ARE they?
They both look great regardless of their age!
I will try my very hardest to remember your outlook on this. My husband has always joked that I "broke" Kitty's ears by petting her too much because they flip back. Can we just pretend a little while longer that the white in the brindle isn't there?
ReplyDeleteMiss M has been "4" and Mr. B has been "5" for the past 3 years.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite stories of all time.
ReplyDelete"Once you are real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
Isn't that true for so many of our pibble friends??
Oh, that just made me teary. So heartbreaking and sweet. I think Miss M and Mr. B will grow to a ripe old age though with all the love in their house.
ReplyDeleteSniffle, sniffle. That is a nice analogy. The pooches are definitely well-loved by everyone they encounter! I will think about this post when I rub Levi's belly, especially since he doesn't have much hair there:)
ReplyDeleteSO SWEET!!! And yes, you made me teary, too. Shame on you. Beautiful, beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. It touched my Giant Dane heart.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have guessed they are 7 & 8 years old. They look very good. What's a number anyway? Everything Mom read said I'd only be about 8 years max. We passed that 5 and now headed toward 6 years ago.
I hear Mom say things about my age, but I just can't get her to understand I feel like a young pup...most of the time. It's a little difficult to get up sometimes and I get the occasional limp but I just enjoy the moment..no worries.
Roo - I really like your perspective about the crows feet. I'm gonna pass that on to Mom so she'll stop worrying about her age.