In September of 1999, I was newly moved to atlanta, very far from home and living alone for the first time in my life. I was bored. I was lonely. And I was determined to do something I had wanted to do for a very very long time.
I WANTED A DOG! And so I squeezed one of my new grad school friends and her soon to be ex into my ford escort and we drove to the Atlanta Humane Society so that I could get a dog. I was TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY unprepared. I had never owned a dog before, and very little experience, except for the hunting beagles my dad kept in a pen in the backyard when I was younger. I picked Sadie out of the dozens of dogs barking, crying, and jumping in their kennels because she seemed so calm when I got to her cage. She wasn’t freaking out like all the rest of them.
Boy, did she have ME fooled! When I got her home, she didn’t sit or lie down for a week. Dog was CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE! And I was tiiiiiiired! No, dog, I do NOT WANT TO PLAY TUG OF WAR FOR ANOTHER HOUR! I want to nap on the couch. OH MY DOG DOG, JUST SIT DOWN! SIT DOWN! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE SIT…ok fine, I’ll play more tug of war…
But Sadie has slowed down the past couple years. Poor girl Very white around the face. And belly. And legs. And a little creaky now when she gets up out of bed. After an afternoon at the park, it takes her a couple days to recovery fully…though it’s not like she takes it easy the next time we go. She’s still full on, balls to the wall, HEY GUYS CAN I SNIFF YOUR BUTT THEN HUMP YOU THEN CHASE YOU AROUND AND GROWL AT YOU? KTHXBAI!!!
So I’ve decided to put my dog…MY BABY! MY FURRY LITTLE BABY…
on Senior dog food.
It’s been a very difficult decision. I’m a little traumatized.
Sadie, however, could not be happier. Because she got new food AND bone to munch on!
She also got senior dog biscuits. I’m hoping the new food and treats will be enough to ease her joints without starting on supplements. We’ll see.
Whut? I iz not old!
I iz mature
She iz beyouteeful
Every time I see a pic of her I just want to hug her.
I’m sure that by now Sadie has learned the same thing the rest of us are learning as we barrel along into middle age: it’s totally worth it to eat disgustingly rich food once in a while even if it does give us killer diarrhoea.
What the heck is that stuff on her head? Sausage made to look like footballs?
oh thank God it’s just a move to good food. I was about to break out a box of tissues if some thing more tragic happened. Don’t scare us like that!
I’m with Jen, I was all, WHAT???? Sadie is so much better behaved than my dog, too, but she’s still only barely a year old, so she’s got time to settle down… she better settle!
Sadie is still a puppy in a big dog suit. Every time I see a picture of her, I want to body hug her.
I’m with the other girls - I almost had a heart attack, ESC! I am dreading glucosamine and senior dog chow days at my house…
Even with all the grey, Sadie still knows a photo op - great picture of her all perky on the mat. Let me know the brand of dog food if it helps the creakiness, I may want to try it.
yes yes, I know it was cruel of me to set you all up like that. I AM A MASTER OF SUSPENSE!!! trust me, if something more drastic had happened, I wouldn’t have been so eloquent and calm sounding at the beginning.
Jodi - yes, those are dog treats shaped like footballs, courtesy of my parents.
Gail - the food is in the pictures above. I had been giving her Nutro natural choice lamb and rice (dark green bag). The new stuff is Nutro natural choice Senior, lamb and brown rice. There is a chicken and rice version, too, in a silver bag, but I wanted to keep the change in diet as subtle as possible. I’ve mixed her old and new food together to get her system used to it - I don’t want to spend the next few days YET AGAIN running her outside every hour with the poopies!
My Bouncer (11 yo) is on glucosamine/chondroitin pills we get OTC at Trader Joe’s. He has terrible hips, and they seem to help him a little.
Having a younger dog around also seems to help keep him active. So far , at least.
Snausages, right? I keep those for my landlady’s dog, London.
And, I have a cat that’s older than your dog.
Sadie looks very good for her age. Give her an ear-scritch for me.
She’s a lady of a certain age.
Tell us more Sadie-new-dog stories!