Since we are off for break this week, we are focusing on relaxing, hanging with our new foster Big Bessie (check our Facebook page if you missed her!), and looking at some of our favorite posts. This is one of our least favorite, but increasingly important, topics to discuss.
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.
11 comments:
One of our favorites too :)
Wyatt
I love this post - but I especially love the quote at the end. My Ben is getting older and I've been having a hard time with it. He's between 6 and 9 years old (very hard to tell since he was a mature adult when we found him and he has a very couch-potato type of personality) - but we recently realized he was going deaf and at this point, he's basically lost all of his hearing. I see him moving a little slower than he used to and I see all the white hairs creeping into his black spots. He's my baby, but I know that no one would be able to love him more than we do. It makes me feel a lot better to read the Velveteen rabbit quote, so thank you :)
Ah, love is nice, it doesn't cost anything and it never goes out of style. Happy New Year.
We were doing the same thing "Oh, felix is five." Until my MIL called us on it and I did the math and I was crush. I love the post - and the velveteen rabbit. Thank you so much for sharing it I needed this today.
Aww, what a sweet post. And I love that book!
LOVE that book! Several of my own dogs - I have no clue how long they have been with me! Isn't that odd? My Sheltie has gone blind in an eye and has a heart murmur; my Dachshunds really haven't aged much but they were young when they came. Annie Beagle is now white in the face where she was red/brown before and Justus is just coming two with Margie coming 3 in June.
I love the aged, loved worn areas on Mr. B.
I never want to lose a one but just did - Allie Mae - she never had an adoption inquiry which was fine by me :). She had a hard time after a surgery earlier this year but this was her time...she was very peaceful.
Cyrano, an adoptable older Beagle, I think has gone from "legally" blind to blind - he no longer scans with his head tilts anymore; he is still my best house trained dog.
Beloved aging dogs.
"Velveteen Dogs" - wouldn't that make a great blog/sharing page?
both mine are going grey, but black greyhounds in particular go grey early, she is only 4 and isnt showing any other signs of age....
wish I could slow it down just a little bit!
aahhh what a great post
Happee New Year!
Benny & Lily
Do NOT make me cry. Wilbur will be 2 in a couple of weeks and it seems like we just got him.
This is definitely one of my favorite posts ever too.
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