Light Sunday

The last few days have seen pretty controversial and intense blogs. I have strong opinions on dogs; breeding dogs, training and basically living with dogs. Being that this is my blog these ideas and thoughts are all mine. I try to always keep an open mind and continue in my education; life is about learning, always learning more and better ways.

So moving onto a lighter blog today; a quick update on my pooches. First the amazing and beautiful girl Tilley. She is doing well; with no recent physical improvement with her Vestibular disease she is learning to deal each day. Life for her is a constant "off kilter" so she struggles to simply stand somedays. She goes from amazingly good to scarey bad daily. Her energy level seems to have a huge impact on her stability and mood plays a part as well. Most mornings are good; once she is up and warmed up her movement seems much more fluid. When she's down for a long while in a deep sleep and then arises; she has a difficult time walking in a straight line. Her left head tilt is a constant burden and leads her into many walls and areas she doesn't want to be in. She is in great spirits; eating like a champ and a wagging fool, all great news.

Luke; the man is starting to show signs of his age. He is in amazing shape; resembling an olympic athlete, but as athletes age so do our dogs and when Luke rests after a big run he is starting to limp. So as we have done with all our dogs; we will start to cut back on the length and intensity of his run. Free runs are the best solution to these type issues.

Jessie is contantly amazing me; she runs around the house like a young'n. Charging down the stairs; leaping into the air, she seems to have boundless energy. At nearly 14 she does sleep sound; so sound now that she rarely hears anything going on. Her sight and her hearing are slipping away from her but if the state of her body is any way to examine her health as she moves into her advanced senior years; she is doing amazing and no doubt be around for many many more years.

Life with dogs is an amazing one; at each step they teach us new things. Every stage is a learning curve for them and as they learn we learn. From puppyhood to becoming a well educated adult; dogs constantly enlighten the human mind. Watching them move on from adulthood into their senior years is just another stage of learning; it is a gentle and majestic time, a time spent at a slower pace. Take each stage as a gift; notice the small things each has to offer and stop to smell the roses.