Aging gracefully

It is sad; I knew it was coming but you just sort of put it at the back of your mind. My husband and I have talked about this moment for a longtime but it still sort of snuck up on us. Tilley has been left at home today; Luke's gone on a run. She has been aging gracefully and very slowly until now. Not that she is old and haggard but the canyon runs are taking alot more out of her.

She is not recouping as fast as she use to and yesterday she was clearly exhausted. Believe me she knows; here she sits on the bed with me listening to the sounds of Luke being hooked up for his run. I know she is devastated; Dad is her one and only, she's always been Daddy's girl.

Tilley is and always has been the epitome of structural perfection. Her movement is easy, her hips and shoulders are amazing and her agility unbelievable. She exudes utility; and she has drive that is off the charts. Tilley has competed in frisbee where she displayed air displays typically reserved for the border collies. She appeared on PetStar twice, been my demo dog, done dock diving and helped many canine fearful people overcome their fears.

Aging has been a very slow process for her but it has arrived. She still has a spring in her step but only half the time. And I have noticed of late that she sounds different when she walks. Just lastnight when my son came home she went to run up the stairs to greet him and fell; so sad.

Tilley can and still loves to go on long walks but the power runs are out now. Lastnight before bed when we take the dogs out for a last trip she moved very slowly from one bed and then plopped down on another. It took us quite a while to convince her to move off the second bed and go outside. The run had clearly been too much for her.

So here she is with Jessie, both laying on the bed with their heads down and ears up. They know where Luke has gone with Dad. Although this is a very sad time for both the girls it is a part of life. And worst still it is us who have make the decision to keep them at home. Given the chance they'd run until they dropped. As guardians and caregivers it is our job to do what is best for them at all stages.

Making them happy now comes in different forms; power runs are out.