Barbara Dobbins, my friend and frequent contributor to WDJ, once wrote a post for this space that described how her senior Border Collie, Daisy, had earned a “permanent hall pass” for jumping up on the counter to help herself to any food that had been left out. Two years into cancer treatment, Dobbins was happy that Daisy had an appetite! She also described other dogs she knew whose owners had decided to look the other way when the dogs did naughty things.
Otto is definitely showing some signs of aging
At 12 ½ years, my senior dog, Otto, has seemingly decided he should get a pass, too. My husband and I are not sure whether he’s getting a little senile, or simply emboldened by the plethora of as-yet uneducated foster puppies that have been trampling the landscaping and chewing drip-irrigation lines (or, alternatively, whining in a crate), or some combination of these things. Whatever the cause, the fact is that his behavior has begun to deteriorate just a bit.
Don’t get me wrong; he’s still a very, very good dog! But, adolescent misadventures aside, he’s always been near perfect – like the kid who sits in the front row and always – ALWAYS – has his hand up in class. If he hears me telling any other dog to “sit” or “down” or “come here,” he’ll pop up out of a dead sleep and run over to prove that he can perform those behaviors better and faster than the other dog can. So it’s a bit of a shock to have him completely blow me off when I call him after hearing him roar his terrible roar at the FedEx truck that’s passing by our house, and see him go tearing down the fence line, determined to chase the truck to the very edge of our property. How do I know he actually heard me and decided not to leave the chase? Because I could see him look over his shoulder and hesitate just a moment, and then decide, “Oh forget it, she’s too far away.”
Otto’s sudden interest in playing fetch
He’s also apparently decided that enough is enough when it comes to the relentless fetching of our younger dog, Woody – one of those dogs who would likely fetch until his feet turn bloody or until he passes out from heat exhaustion. If Otto is by himself, he will fetch a time or two, and then, chase the ball or other fetch item a third time, but just as he’s about to reach the fetch item, seemingly catch a whiff of some mystery aroma he just HAS to check out! “Excuse me, Mom, I think there was a raccoon on our lawn four nights ago, I should investigate.” In other words, he’s never been all that into fetching. But suddenly, he’s started to get very competitive when Woody is fetching.
He’s not nearly as fast or as coordinated as Woody, but he’s started to insert himself into any session of fetch, trying to beat Woody to any throw where that seems likely – which, because Woody never watches the ball, but just takes off running in the most likely direction, and Otto actually visually tracks the ball, Otto can get to more of the throws than he ought to be able to at his age. He also will try to intercept Woody on his way back to me with the ball and forcibly take the ball from him! Thank goodness, even though Woody is 4 ½ years old, he is still very submissive in the face of Otto’s “attacks.” He doesn’t quite give in, but he has not yet once tried to retaliate, either; he either tries to outmaneuver the older dog, or will stop and hunker down in a submissive pose, holding the ball tightly in his mouth and squinting his eyes tightly shut as Otto bites his face, trying to get the ball. “Sorry, man, I just can’t let go!”
Does Otto actually want to play fetch himself? Is he jealous of the attention that Woody gets for fetching? It seems that he just wants the ball; if he gets it, he just leaves with it! “Ha! That stupid game is over!” he seems to say. And, yes, I’ve tried having two balls on site when we are playing, so if Otto steals one, Woody and I can play on . . . Otto will drop whichever one we let him have and come in pursuit of the “active” ball in the game, so lately I’ve been putting him in the house when Woody needs a good, long session to work off some energy. I don’t want him to get hurt trying to overdo the fetching heroics!
It’s just weird, because he used to just watch Woody fetching like, “Yuck! What an idiot!” And now he’s like, “I have to STOP this!”
Other changes in Otto’s behavior
Also new: For most of his life, even if he didn’t want to do something, like, suffer through a bath in the yard with a hose, he would come when I called him. Slowly, sadly, but he would come (and he would get thanked, rewarded, and fussed over). Now, if he sees a hose and thinks a bath might be in the works, he just leaves, even if I’m calling him. “Nope! Just… nope!” He thinks – actually, he knows – I’m just not going to make him suffer through a hose bath anymore if he doesn’t want one.
But the biggest surprise came a few days ago, when my husband left his dinner unattended on the coffee table for a minute, and Otto just started helping himself to the food. WHAT?! He’s NEVER been a counter-surfer or helped himself to food like that before, which made both my husband and I wonder if this is a bit of dementia creeping in. He actually looked a bit surprised when both my husband and I, shocked at the same time, yelled “Hey!” I told my husband, we have to treat him more like a puppy again; we can’t take it for granted anymore that he knows all the house rules and will follow them. While I’m happy to issue him that “permanent hall pass,” and will likely just go ahead and let him have the rest of any burrito he manages to steal from now on, part of me is a little sad at these age-related behavior changes. Dogs just don’t live long enough! We’ll cherish all the time we have together, a little more now.
This article came at just the right time for me, as I have watched my 14 year-old greyhound change rapidly in the past year. I have never had the privilege of living with an aging dog, having lost my first 2 weims at early ages to GME and lymphoma. Willow has slowed down, become selective in which commands she will deign to respond to (“Is she LAUGHING at me” when I call her in from the yard and she raises her head, looks at me kindly, and continues on with whatever it is she is doing)… so much of this article rang true! I began to think she was losing her hearing, but maybe not. She is clingy, demanding, tender, and crabby. For 6 years she has treated my 8 year-old weim with tolerant disdain. Never one for a dog pile, she now seeks her out for a cuddle and enjoys laying on top of her. Scarlett is thrilled to finally be getting physical attention from Willow and the look on her face is priceless. Willow is now more selective in what she will eat (Is she holding out for that can of tripe she knows I’ll give her if she fasts long enough to make me anxious?) Like Mike mentions above about his Bear, Willow is also becoming incontinent, seeming to lose feeling in her back end. Sometimes, poop just falls out of her, and she’ll look a bit surprised, like, “Where did THAT come from?!” I am on several greyhound fb groups and while aging is mentioned, most owners refer to greys sleeping more as they age and seeming to need less food, but not behavioral changes as this article does. I feel proud and honored that I have been able to shepherd Willow into old age, and if that means having to change my own expectations to meet her old lady demands, I’m all in! Hall-pass it is!
It’s heartwarming to see so many people being good caretakers and companions to their canine family members after they’ve loved us wholeheartedly through the many changes they’ve shepherded us pthrough.
My Penny will be 14 this summer. When i brought her home as a puppy i had just graduated college and had moved across the country to a new city with my fiance. Penny and i grew up together. She was by my side through so many major life events- the birth of my now 11 y.o., my divorce and custody battle, the deaths of close friends. At one point we were homeless for a year and i had to send her to live with my sister until i could find a dog friendly apartment.
Life started to settle down about 6 years ago and penny decided she would fill the role of coparent to my kid and emotional support animal to me. She has lost a lot of her hearing and doesn’t move around gracefully like she used to. But now my kid is fiercely protective of her and we do all we can to show her our gratitude and give her the happiest senior years we can.
Thank you Nancy for a warm and yet kind of sad story. We’re going through our 5th Golden’s senior years and know the progression, now at the needing help on every outing due to bad arthritis and poor hearing/Cognitive Disorder signs.
However, still trying to appreciate every moment and signs of the boy we have known for 12+ years. It’s sad and yet comforting to know his life is so valuable, especially to us and his brother from a different mother. Oh to be a loving and loved (unconditionally) dog owner/caretaker for life! Thank you for the opportunity to sit back and dwell on my boys life. 🙂
We have an 11 1/2 year old mini poodle. We are very careful to try to give him the very best food, as we want him to live a long and happy life. We read the ingredients lists very carefully. The only change that we are noticing is that he sleeps more, and plays for shorter intervals. Please offer suggestions as to the best longevity diet and where to buy that. We are bonded so tight to this little guy. I now call him Mr. Chumley, because he is such a chummy, buddy, friend. He sometimes seems to glue his little body to our legs, laps, etc. Please weigh in on the best food for our precious chum. Thank you!
Dear Susan and Beanie, I absolutely get it! My pekingese Nelson is 12 and a half, and my whole world. I am 72 so he is my last dog bc i don’t want to leave a beloved dog alone. He has given me 12 years of love and joy and I’m so grateful. Bless all of you old dog parents, jeanette and Nelson
Dear Jeanette – There are so very many “SENIOR dogs out there who need a loving home for their last years. Far too many that are in shelters or rescues. I realize how hard even thinking about not having your Nelson with you is – I am 82 & my Suzy dog is 13 – we are pretty much the same age (in dog years). She was diagnosed with Lyme Disease a year ago & has flare-ups from that. Now a skin issue too – but I think mainly just age. I also have a 13 year old cat – so we are all getting older together. Thinking about “after” is so very hard – but as long as I am able, and so far my health is good,, I will have a dog & a cat for as long as I can. My son & daughter are well aware that if something happens to me, my animals either stay with them or are put to sleep. There would never be a question of giving them away – ever.”
As I said – after is hard to even think about BUT if I can give another dog & cat a loving home, thats what I will do.
Their lives are so short compared to ours – it really doesnt seem fair at all.
I live with my first doggie, the love of my life, a Yorkie, my Beanie. She is now 8. I will do everything I can to help her age, just as she does everything she can to help me age. LOL. She licks my hands, my knees, my arms. She grooms me every day. She wakes up in the a.m. and flings her body all over me, giving me “lovies” and is SOOOO happy just to be alive and to be with me. I love this little being more than anything in my now world or my before world and I lived a LOT of life., and have had multiple husbands. Yupper, love her more than them and any boyfriends.
I don’t care if people think I am silly or crazy that I love this dog so much.
My 13-1/2 year old miniature poodle has gone from being that perfect dog who would do anything i asked right away into a dog who at best contemplates first if he wants to do what i am asking. If not, then he doesn’t. Truly never did that kind of thing before. I call it O.D. P., my version of the hall pass. It stands for old dog prerogative and it is his motto, being a dog of older years. So funny that they get this sense of maybe power as they age.
My 11 1/2 yr. old beagle has gotten only better; lost a little weight (changed to a high protein lo carb diet), he loves to lay in the grass and watch the world go by, and tells me what time to take our daily walk. He is also trying to learn human talk, basically a groan/howl or growl/whine or sometimes the classic Arooo! His training has finally stuck, he comes when called, heals when we are walking and see a car coming,otherwise a loose leash. He is more devoted to both my husband and me, and is much easier to be with.
Has she had her kidney function checked? I have a 14 1/2 y.o Brittany mix that is in stage III kidney disease, but still running/having a good life so far. I’m not a vet, but my understanding is that doing an SDMA is a very sensitive test to pick up kidney disease, as well as doing a routine blood chemistry (which would show some kidney values). Hopefully your vet is on top of this?
We just lost our 18 1/2 year old mix that we rescued 17 years ago. she was great up to the end but did have a bit of doggy dementia. She would go into the middle of the yard and then stop, look around like why did I go here. she would be in a deep sleep and suddenly get up, look around to see where we were and then just go back to sleep. She ate well, could see well, hear well. Maggie was perfect all those years until her back end finally gave out and she could not get up. She was part of our family for so long, she is sorely missed.