It is so sad to see Sandy getting older (she turned 10 in April). Her face is quite gray. Her fur has lost most of its natural oils and gets matted easily; it takes constant attention to keep it under control. For some time she has been moving more slowly. She has not been able to jump into Brett's truck or onto the bed for a long time. And it seems to take longer and longer for her joints to warm up after she has been laying down for a while.
But she still has energy in her.
She still gets excited when Brett brings out the Aerobie. She still jogs to retrieve the Aerobie when Brett has thrown it. She still barks at passing walkers, joggers, bikers, and dogs. She still likes meeting new people (grown-ups), doing her happy growl with a toy in her mouth--not because she wants them to play with the toy, just because she wants them to notice her. She still likes getting her dog biscuit from the UPS guy. She still does her happy moaning (her version of purring) when she is especially enjoying a good petting session. She still likes laying out on the grass on a sunny day. She still likes going wandering two doors down, tapping on the back door to get a treat from our neighbors who also have two dogs. She still goes wandering over to Brett's parent's house occasionally when she wants a day away from home. She still comes running (okay, trotting) into the kitchen when I open the peanut butter jar getting ready to give her her Heart Guard medicine, a tradition we started who-knows-why when she was a puppy. I still don't understand how she knows when the peanut butter is for her and not a sandwich for Todd or Ryan the other twenty-nine days in the month. She still tries to hide by me whenever she hears thunder or the bombing on Eglin. She still loves chasing squirrels up a tree, waiting by the trunk for an hour to see if the squirrel will come back down. She still gets excited when I pull out the leash. She still hates taking a bath, but loves the drying-off game with the towel; she was in such a playful mood after her bath on Monday afternoon.
When we came home from the vet this morning I left the door open for a few minutes so Copper could go outside. When I looked out to check on the dogs this is how I found them.
Are they related, or what? Sandy is on the left; Copper is on the right.
Ryan wanted to get in on the pictures, too. He went right up to give Sandy a little hug. Though Sandy is still a little hesitant when it comes to Ryan, she has grown quite tolerant of him. Sandy has never been very fond of young children--something we attribute to the first eight months of her life spent in the family with a young toddler who did not treat her well. Sandy has learned that although Ryan's movements may sometimes be more erratic than she is comfortable with, he does not try to hit her (anymore) and usually just wants to give her a quick hug or petting. She used to give a quiet growl any time he walked by her to let him know that she really didn't want his attention. Now, although I can tell she is a little tense sometimes when gets down beside her, she will usually give him the benefit of the doubt and relaxes when she sees that no harm is meant.
Logically, I know that we could lose Sandy at any time. However, it wasn't until I went to the vet this morning and started writing this post that it hit me again. I have always know that Brett would have a hard time when that day comes. Although Brett had a dog growing up (Brandy, another Golden Retriever), Sandy is Brett's first dog.
Today I know that I will be crying when that day comes too. I'm not ready to say good-bye yet. Let's hope I don't have to for another good year or two or three....
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