Where does the time go!? It seems like only a few years ago that we added our dog, Sprite (not named after the soda pop… but the elfin-type of sprite, and the computer graphics term) to our family. But, it has actually been thirteen years. So, technically, she isn’t our puppy any more… but our aging dog.
We "adopted" her (as I said) thirteen years ago, when I was a member of several online mystery reading groups. It’s funny how I remember those types of details, but I can’t remember when (or IF!) I bought a book by a favorite author. Anyway, getting back to Sprite…
I must say, it is sad seeing her get old. This sounds as if I think that time has been kinder to me… But, thirteen years ago I was much more able to pick up our thirty five pound Sprite and whisk her up the stairs. And, of course, since I can’t carry up my cup of coffee at the same time, that means I go up and down the stairs twice for every time I actually want to go up and down. She seems to never want me out of her sight. (This has been the case since my husband and I became empty nesters… and carries over even when our children are home.) She truly is a member of our family, but somehow, she has become my dog… barking whenever I forget to get her off of the couch, whimpering when she wants to be taken upstairs, yipping when I forget that she is fed at the precise time her body’s clock has dinner time set, even moaning when I forget that she gets her pills at the exact time we sit down for dinner.
Lately, I have been having to carry her up our stairs every time I go upstairs. The only time that she is actually prepared to even attempt the staircase is at 9:30 PM, when she knows that she will soon be getting comfortable on my husband’s and my bed (or should I say "the three of ours bed"?!?). This ritual of having to carry her up SEVERAL times a day is getting a little tedious, not to say exhausting to me. But, she has been such a wonderful addition to our family… a true companion who listens intently to every little thing we want to tell her. How could we leave her downstairs by herself?
I do, though, wish that we had taught her that "STAY" really means stay… and not "follow me downstairs while I get another cup of coffee, and then take my cup of coffee upstairs before I go back downstairs to lug you upstairs with me!"
Jan says
Danna, I can sympathize because we lost our elderly dog last Fall and we had to carry her up and down steps too. We now have our empty nest puppy. This one is smaller, lol. And we are teaching her "stay" because like your dog, she follows me EVERYWHERE 🙂 I love dogs and can’t imagine life without a companion dog. Give your sweet Sprite a big hug from me.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jan,
Consider it done… Sprite got a big hug!
Good idea to teach the "stay" mode to your new SMALLER puppy… (That’s a great idea that will certainly pay off in back strains/pains twelve years down the road!)
Unfortunately, it is too late to teach our old dog some new tricks.