new old dog behaviors

[SoloRiver]

Please excuse the grammar of the thread title.

 

Although you may not know it to look at him, Solo will be 11 years old in May. Over the past year I have noticed an increasing incidence of what I call "value-added behaviors." By this I mean that Solo does all the same stuff he used to do (albeit a bunch of it, he does slower than he used to) plus some new stuff. I am not sure if all of these are age-related behaviors, or just additions to the repertoire given that he's been around for an entire decade now.

 

Solo more often stops to listen to the voices. He has always done this, but it is more frequent now. He will stop whatever he was doing, and sort of cock his ears, and do this:

 

 

In a possibly related behavior, he will often whine to go out late at night and then stand outside on the patio staring off into space, as though he does not recall why he wanted to go outside. Note, he does not act disoriented under normal circumstances, just in this circumstance.

 

Solo has taken up mud-eating. If he is very insistent about going out late at night, it is almost guaranteed that he will make a beeline for a soft corner of the yard and start chowing down. He gets a complete and well-rounded diet so I don't think it's a mineral deficiency, his appetite is excellent, and his bloodwork is totally normal. It seems that he has simply developed a taste for mud.

 

Solo counter surfs much more frequently now than he did when he was younger (thus the Rimadyl thievery incident from a few months ago), and also will raid the garbage if he is left alone at home with it (only very rarely while we are at home) such that we now have to shut the garbage into a closet when we leave the house. We tried putting a latch on the can, which he learned to open, and then locking it, but he learned that he could pull the bag out from under the lid and make a mess anyway. This indicates that he's pretty determined about the garbage raiding.

 

Finally, and this may partially explain the counter surfing and garbage raiding, Solo seems to be much more bored and to become bored much more easily than when he was younger. He is not clingy, per se -- it isn't that he's following me around more or that he seems more anxious. If he were a child he would be tugging on my skirt and saying, "C'mon, let's DO something." Yes, Border Collies will do this, but Solo is doing it more often now. He is not particularly active in the house and never has been what anyone would call a "busy" dog, and if anything he has become less active as he has aged. He is simply more bored.

 

Do these sound like normal old dog behaviors, or is this just Solo?

[ejano]

Please excuse the grammar of the thread title.

 

Although you may not know it to look at him, Solo will be 11 years old in May. Over the past year I have noticed an increasing incidence of what I call "value-added behaviors." By this I mean that Solo does all the same stuff he used to do (albeit a bunch of it, he does slower than he used to) plus some new stuff. I am not sure if all of these are age-related behaviors, or just additions to the repertoire given that he's been around for an entire decade now.

 

Solo more often stops to listen to the voices. He has always done this, but it is more frequent now. He will stop whatever he was doing, and sort of cock his ears, and do this:

 

 

In a possibly related behavior, he will often whine to go out late at night and then stand outside on the patio staring off into space, as though he does not recall why he wanted to go outside. Note, he does not act disoriented under normal circumstances, just in this circumstance.

 

Solo counter surfs much more frequently now than he did when he was younger (thus the Rimadyl thievery incident from a few months ago), and also will raid the garbage if he is left alone at home with it (only very rarely while we are at home) such that we now have to shut the garbage into a closet when we leave the house. We tried putting a latch on the can, which he learned to open, and then locking it, but he learned that he could pull the bag out from under the lid and make a mess anyway. This indicates that he's pretty determined about the garbage raiding.

 

Solo has taken up mud-eating. If he is very insistent about going out late at night, it is almost guaranteed that he will make a beeline for a soft corner of the yard and start chowing down. He gets a complete and well-rounded diet so I don't think it's a mineral deficiency, his appetite is excellent, and his bloodwork is totally normal. It seems that he has simply developed a taste for mud.

 

Finally, Solo seems to be much more bored and to become bored much more easily. He is not clingy, per se -- it isn't that he's following me around more or that he seems more anxious. If he were a child he would be tugging on my skirt and saying, "C'mon, let's DO something." Yes, Border Collies will do this, but Solo is doing it more often now. He is not particularly active in the house and never has been what anyone would call a "busy" dog, and if anything he has become less active as he has aged. He is simply more bored.

 

Do these sound like normal old dog behaviors, or is this just Solo?

 

You've always studied him very carefully so you'd immediately suspect when dementia started to set in. They do start to forget their manners and get more anxious, particularly if they are losing their sight or hearing. Willie, my last old dog, wouldn't leave my side, especially after his pal Lucky died.

 

ETA - what a beautiful photograph! I do love the red dogs, even if Robin is being a bit of a jerk tonight.

[Maralynn]

Missy will be 11 in March. In the past year she has taken to counter surfing and getting into the garbage when no one is around. She has also become more affectionate. She randomly goes up to trusted family members and tries to hop in their lap. I'll be typing away on something and she'll randomly come up and stick her head under my arm so it's impossible to ignore her. I'm not sure whether I should chalk it up to her age, the added competition from the other two dogs or maybe her personality is just continuing to blossom.

[Shetlander]

Do these sound like normal old dog behaviors, or is this just Solo?

 

My Sheltie turned 11 in November. I don't see any boredom and she's a model of good behavior. However, she has that vague thing going on when we go outside, especially at night. She will wander on the screened in porch as if she thinks she can enter the yard where there is no door. Granted we only screened in the porch last July, but we spent a TON of time out there well into October and use it every time we go outside so I find it a little odd that she heads where there is no exit to the yard. And she is sometimes slow to come in when called. I'm not sure if that is her diminished hearing, her lifelong love of being outside or distraction. I'm training Quinn to go to her side during those failed Midnight recalls - not round her up or work her - but just break whatever spell she is under when she's out there. It seems to get her attention that she's wanted elsewhere. In addition to some deafness, I think she is having vision issues, especially in the dark or in dim light. I'm not sure how that factors into her night time vagueness.

 

I had a senile dog and she isn't showing any of the signs he did. Of course, his most notable symptom was being as mean and unpredictable as a rattle snake.

[MaggieDog]

Maggie will be 11 in June(ish) and doesn't seem to do anything that you noticed Solo does (except counter surfing, but she's always done that lol), but like Missy she seems much more affectionate. She also seems to enjoy her creature comforts more as well - she's often seen on the couch when she never used to get up there.

[bcnewe2]

Pach and Jazz turned 13 in Oct.

Jazz is really doing well for her age. I really can't say besides incontinence that I see anything happening with her. I guess her outside behavior has changed a bit from her blowing her knee out last summer but those are physical things.

Pach OTOH does allot of the things you say.

But one of his physical issues is that he's lost most of his hearing so I usually chalk most of his behaviors off to that.

 

I def. understand the bored thing. He's not an active or busy dog either but he seems to just need something. He'll stand there looking at you and whine. I'll offer the things I think he might want (besides food) but then he seems to forget what it was he wanted. Most of the time he ends up going outside and standing on the porch. He's always had a poo eating issue but it's worsening as he ages. It's almost like he wants to go out and have a snack before dinner and desert after. He's on thyroid meds but other than that he's in pretty good physical shape.

He has a habit of letting his poop fall out his butt as he walks now but never has accidents in the house so it seems that it isn't really a bowel issue, just more a "oh well" thing.

He's a bit more clingy than he used to be but not as much as some dogs I have. He likes to sleep with someone in the room with him.

He also gets to barking, he'll notice or feel someone else start barking then he starts. The rest will quit but he doesn't hear they quit so he just stands there and barks till you gently touch him. I don't mind him barking, i feel like it makes him still feel important and connected to the other dogs.

He's ALWAYS been a counter surfer or trash digger but we've had a compactor since he first came to live with us and nothing else would work.

The snow has been hell on all the old dogs. THey still can't get off the 4 wheeler paths or they can't keep their balance or they get stuck in a drift and can't get turned around.

I'm glad Lilly the LGD has taken them all under her wing and she follows them while they stroll around making sure they get home safe. I've seen her push Pach towards the house when I was stupidly trying to call him in. I've seen her wrassle with Jazz getting her turned around in a drift without hurting her knee or even making her growl. It's a wonderful thing to watch.

She will play rough with the young dogs but is gentle as a lamb with the old ones.

 

It's hell getting old, I guess as much for them as it is for us!

[ejano]

My Sheltie turned 11 in November. I don't see any boredom and she's a model of good behavior. However, she has that vague thing going on when we go outside, especially at night. She will wander on the screened in porch as if she thinks she can enter the yard where there is no door. Granted we only screened in the porch last July, but we spent a TON of time out there well into October and use it every time we go outside so I find it a little odd that she heads where there is no exit to the yard. And she is sometimes slow to come in when called. I'm not sure if that is her diminished hearing, her lifelong love of being outside or distraction. I'm training Quinn to go to her side during those failed Midnight recalls - not round her up or work her - but just break whatever spell she is under when she's out there. It seems to get her attention that she's wanted elsewhere. In addition to some deafness, I think she is having vision issues, especially in the dark or in dim light. I'm not sure how that factors into her night time vagueness.

 

I had a senile dog and she isn't showing any of the signs he did. Of course, his most notable symptom was being as mean and unpredictable as a rattle snake.

 

The night vision problems could be the first signs of cataracts.

 

Willie never did get mean...he was always my sweet Willie...just confused, very confused because all of his senses were gone except smell (I think I told the pizza story -- he wandered away and the only reason we found him is that he started rustling in the high grass in a ditch beside the driveway when he smelled the pizza that I'd picked up on my way home that night - Ken got home first, let him out and he wandered off. Never would have found him, except for the pizza).

 

Is there a difference between dementia and senility?

 

Liz

[diane allen]

Sorry to hear that Solo may be getting old! But that all sounds like old-dog stuff to me and my Lucy. She'll be 14 in six days (yippee!), has started following me around the house like she did when she first came here (at age 3.5 yr); about 2 years ago, she started with the dirt eating (well, mud if its wet!) in the yard, and lately I've caught her at it when we're away from home - sand, dirt, mud, doesn't matter, she mostly licks it, but gets a modest amount in her mouth; and while she doesn't counter-surf (a bit short for that!), she is definitely more of a chow hound - she's partly deaf, but definitely hears that "crackly paper" even if it's not dog-related.

 

She doesn't stare into space, but does an odd thing - I've asked 2 vets about it, and neither seem concerned, but I still am. Mostly in the evening, not necessarily after a day of a lot of activity (OK, for her, that's not all that much), she'll stand and sort of wobble - more like a combo of shudder, wobble, and shake. She almost always does this standing up, has never fallen down or otherwise "lost control" - and if I catch her at it, can call her out of it (if I'm close by so she can hear!). Anybody else seen this in older dogs?

 

OTOH, she ran a NADAC novice jumpers course (novice, even tho she's an accomplished champ, because the courses are shorter, and she's in vet skilled, jumps 12") at 4.83 yards per second last weekend! You go, ol' girlie!

 

diane

[Shetlander]

Is there a difference between dementia and senility?

 

Not really. You can have dementia for a variety of reasons. Alzheimer's is a big cause of senile dementia. Senile is a more layman's kind of term. Or mabye just a term that was used more in the past. I should check with one of the Elder Services clinicians when I go to work tomorrow.

[SincereArtisan]

Whenever I see an elderly dog picking up on bad habits such as counter surfing and trash diving, I initially worry there may be some medical issue at hand that is messing with their appetite...

 

Has he had bloodwork done recently?

 

Or, is he on any medications that are increasing his appetite?

[SoloRiver]

Solo has bloodwork done at least yearly because of his anti-psycho meds and his values have never been anything but stellar. The last were a couple of months ago after the Rimadyl-stealing incident. He isn't on any new meds and his appetite isn't any bigger than it used to be. I really think he's more bored than hungry. Sounds like he's not alone!

[Dixie_Girl]

I think the combination of slower activity, and the fact that he no longer lives in the city probably have a lot to do with it. I know it has been a while since y'all moved but sometimes these things can be cumulative. There were, I imagine, much more sights and sounds, that while they didn't appear to affect him, certainly would have stimulated his brain, while he lived in the city. Plus, when he was taken out, it was probably to much busier types of places. Now he doesn't have that constant barage of seemingly un-noticed noises, and his brain is now free to, um, invent some stimulation. It is like the reverse of taking a dog that is kept in the country, and putting him in a city. While the sights, sounds and smells will overwhelm that dog, Solo is being underwhelmed. Of course these are pure assumptions on my part. But that is what it seems like to me. Hope you find a solution for him. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Solo. There is just something about his eyes! Like he is a soul watcher! Anyway, give him a hug and scritch for me!

[MicheleS.]

I had 2 dogs that, as they aged, were into eating dirt! Same as you, their yearly bloodwork came back normal and I felt they were both fed well-rounded diets. I could never understand it and it drove me insane because for one, I had patches of ground with only dirt and divots that developed in their favorite dirt-eating spots. That's not to mention the gritty crunching they did when they came in from eating dirt.

Don't know why they do it

[AmandaMJL]

My oldest girl is a lab, and none of those traits are coming out in her (yet)... she'll be 11 in July. The only thing I notice with her is she's way more stubborn than she used to be! LOL

[sea4th]

I'd been wanting to post a topic about old dogs, specifically about Tam. Tam is 13 yrs. old and to see him age is distressing for me. Tam is a smooth tri color. In his prime, he was breathtaking -- masculine and well-muscled, glossy black coat, he exuded confidence and there was no doubt who the top dog was in the house. Watching him work, i.e., move sheep, I have to admit, I was drawn to watching his fluid movement as he slithered around the sheep, more so than how he was working. Scaling a 6 foot enclosure for Tam was like jumping a 2 ft. baby gates for others.

 

While he still is in great shape for an old dog, a thickness has set in, although I still consider Tam a very dignified handsome, there have been some changes in behavior. He's never been a food thief. He's not now. He will ask to go out but if I am not standing by the door while he tends to business, he will bark, a very loud bark, continually, until I'm back at the door. He can't guage the sound anymore. Tam is almost entirely deaf. Recalls are reduced to me being in his line of vision and motioning to him. Sometimes he'll sort of blank out and gets weak in the rear. It sways. But that's only sometimes. And his eyes are cloudy.

 

What's really distressing is that Tam, who garnered the respect of every dog in the house at one time, has recently been jumped on by Billy, an old rescue dog who has been with me for years. I call Billy the village idiot. Billy is nuts, absolutely the lowest dog in the pack order, but when Tam was younger, he would quickly put Billy in his place or out of control behavior and Billy would respond with a "yessir. anything you say sir". Billy has lost that respect for Tam now. That hurts to see. Maybe the worst of all is coming home, a chorus of dogs barking to greet me, but Tam is in such a deep, old dog sleep, he doesn't hear me come home and sometimes, when I walk in, I turn on the light and I pause to see if he is still breathing. A light touch wakens him and he jumps up, "OK. I'm up! Let's go".

 

I still let him know that in my heart, he is still top dog around here and I think he's happy with that.

 

I don't mean to steal this thread. I didn't want to start another one, but when there is any change in behavior in an old dog, it can be something. It might be nothing. In either case, when an old dog ages, it's not always easy to watch or accept, but it's good to bring up some of these issues and get feedback on them.

 

Sorry for veering off the main question.

[bcnewe2]

That's one I forgot to mention. FOr both Jazz and Pachie they have passed the "thick" stage and are on to the little old man bones and butt. WHen I see them walking it reminds me of the old person shuffling along with no fat left on their bones. They aren't thin but the musle tone is gone.

It makes me sad but then I find reasons to smile as we all age these things are going to come no matter what.

They have both lived a full life and as long as I can keep them pain free they will continue to live as full of a life as I can give them.

[shadowmarie]

I'm glad you brought this up, as my Shadow is 13+ now and I too have noticed many of the same behavioral changes. She is much more of a scavenger than she used to be, searching out cat or deer poop on the trail as never before. She has eaten dirt for the past few years (in the summer when we have dirt!), and as others noted, her blood work is normal. I gave her some vitamin and mineral supplements for old dogs just in case, but that didn't seem to affect the behavior at all so I stopped.

 

She has started to bark a lot more than she used to, especially when she gets excited. I think this may be because she can't do her happy dance as well as she used to, and uses barking instead to express her excitement. She has also become a lollygagger on our walks. She spends a lot more time sniffing, as though it takes her longer to make all the neural connections to interpret the scents.

 

She has "old man butt" too, and doesn't jump up on the furniture anymore. She still retains her top dog position but it is clear it tires her out and she sometimes just lets things slide that she wouldn't have in her prime.

[urge to herd]

Samantha will be 15 in about 6 weeks. She went through a period of dirt eating maybe a couple years ago, but doesn't do it any more. She's got the wobbles, it takes more effort for her to stand up and lay down, and she's got that thinness from losing muscle mass. Her coat is thinner, too.

 

She still likes to play fetch for a few minutes in the morning, and loves her walks. We have to call her loudly, or go get her. This morning I've got a nasty cold and sore throat, so I asked DH to feed the girls for me. I just noticed Sam didn't eat her meal, so she'll get some cookies instead. I feel like she can pretty much do anything she wants, she's earned it.

 

Sami had a nasty spell a few weeks ago, and I would not have been surprised to find her gone when I came home from a morning meeting, but she was up and moving around. Her blood work came back fine.

 

She loves to be cuddled by me and she never used to like that, getting petted was good, and being groomed is still like a day at the spa, but not cuddling. Now she just about asks for that kind of attention, where I get down on the floor with her and cuddle her on my crossed legs.

 

Shonie at age maybe 14 is physically slowed down, but still almost puppyish in her behavior. It's hard to think of losing them.

 

Ruth

[SoloRiver]

I def. understand the bored thing. He's not an active or busy dog either but he seems to just need something. He'll stand there looking at you and whine.

 

Yep, that's pretty much what he does. Very urgent look. Not anxious, but like he has something really important to tell me. It's gotten really bad lately, but that's probably because I'm teaching this term and spend long periods of time doing class prep and not interacting with him. When he's not staring at me, he lies in the corner and sighs and whines so I know how bored he is.

 

I think the combination of slower activity, and the fact that he no longer lives in the city probably have a lot to do with it. I know it has been a while since y'all moved but sometimes these things can be cumulative. There were, I imagine, much more sights and sounds, that while they didn't appear to affect him, certainly would have stimulated his brain, while he lived in the city. Plus, when he was taken out, it was probably to much busier types of places. Now he doesn't have that constant barage of seemingly un-noticed noises, and his brain is now free to, um, invent some stimulation.

 

You know, I wondered about this before, and I think you are probably right. There is something very calm, and secure, and normal about his boredom. When we lived in the city he used to crash harder when we were home. Part of it was probably because he was younger and stronger and played harder, but part of it was probably because he perceived the world around him as full of threats and it isn't like that anymore. This may also explain why he has started barking at people on TV (what we call "the magic window") like he is guarding us from them. Solo never paid the slightest attention to the TV before. I am sort of ashamed that Solo does this now because it's like, the one thing he does that does not seem incredibly intelligent (OK, maybe other than eating mud). He especially dislikes newscasters and other "talking head" types who appear really big on screen and look straight into the camera, which means that he threatens Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on a nightly basis, which I usually chide him for because those are the good guys, but I digress.

 

Physically, Solo is doing well. No one would guess his age as more than 5 or 6 if he were just standing still. He's had arthritis for some time now in his hip and back, so when he runs or goes up stairs he looks old. And his muscle tone is not what it used to be. But he is still perfectly happy to chase a ball or jump and will run an agility course with aplomb, although he might knock a couple of bars. I no longer ask him to hop over solid immovable objects like playground balance beams or fallen trees, like I used to for fun, because sometimes he'll hit and trip over them while jumping. After that happens he'll act all like nothing happened, "I'm OK, I'll just walk it off" but I'm afraid he'll really hurt himself. I don't know if it's his joints, lack of muscle, or eyesight that's the problem.

 

Solo is still top dog in the house and always will be if I can help it. Fly is a natural follower and would never think of challenging anyone. Jett on the other hand is a schemer and I know I will have to watch her, although the fact that she's a bitch may mean she never tries to be the boss of Solo. Jett maintains a very healthy respect for Solo and stays carefully out of his way at all times. If this starts changing, she will be put very firmly in her place, by me.

 

Behaviorally I don't want to give the impression that Solo's losing it, because he's totally not. He is just as sharp as ever, with the exception of these occasional fugues, even if he is somewhat more deliberate. It's hard to say really, since he's always sort of acted like an old man, and always been much more serious than the average Border Collie. When I first adopted him he had no idea how to have fun, and he's since learned, but even when he plays he tends to do it in a professional manner. He's been frivolous or silly maybe two or three times in his entire life. He is a deep thinker, and means pretty much everything that he says or does.

 

This is an interesting discussion, thanks guys.

[bcnewe2]

It's hard to say really, since he's always sort of acted like an old man, and always been much more serious than the average Border Collie.

 

I call this an old soul. Pach wasn't born that way but Jazz was. Not to say she doesn't have fun but she was never really a happy go lucky puppy. Where Dew will always have the happy go lucky puppy attitude. Not an "old soul"

Mick is def. and old soul, I hate to think of him aging. He is top dog and I can already see he isn't always ready physicaly handle all that goes with that title. He's quite lucky he's got all the dogs around here trained.

[sea4th]

Re: the top dog thing. The girls don't and never did have an issue with Tam being first ranked male. They knew then, they know now "never underestimate the power of a female", so they never cared and felt secure in their own places in the household. It's the males that Tam can no longer, if the situation called for, fight off or remind them of their place. His nephew, Joe is very much in the top dog slot now, but Tam still thinks he still holds the title, and maybe in a way he still does. Joe wouldn't think, probably doesn't feel the need to bring down an old dog. Joe has sense. In his prime, I nicknamed Tam, the Irish brawler. His daddy was from Ireland and if Tam would be a person, he'd have been the guy who would go to the corner bar for a pint, minding his own business, but if trouble came to him, he could clean some clocks and clear out the bar. One tough dog was my Tam, very serious. Although he's had the opportunity to play, I've only seen him break down twice in his life and act silly and maybe play with something. Thing is, he still thinks he's tough, but I worry when he lapses and I see his rear quarters sway, but I do still see shades of that old barroom brawler. He's always been to me a very blue collar, working class type of dog. If he were human, he wouldn't have clean and manicured hands. Tam would have hands like my dad, hands that have known a lifetime of hard work, been exposed to the elements and showing every bit of it, never quite getting all of the dirt out from under the fingernails --- good, honest working hands. And if Tam is anything, he is good and honest.

[BCjetta]

My oldest one is 15.5 or so now. I've noticed several changes with her. I think the changes started with her hearing starting to go. However, for the past year or so if you let her out on the deck at night to go out, she'll wander around seemingly aimlessly, or just stand there. Sometimes she will go down the stairs to pee etc and then just stand and stare at the gate. She would not do this in the daytime. I *think* she's got some dementia now, however, I don't really notice it when she's at my house but from what my parents describe it sure sounds like it. The vet I work for said that cognitive dysfunction can appear in different ways. Some older people only have issues at night (my grandma for instance), and he said it can be the same with dogs. I asked him why she seems so much better when she's with me than with them and he said because she's more stimulated at my house (I make her use her brain more and he said if you dont use it, you lose it) - I get the dogs to sit, spin etc and I have more of a system/routine going than my parents do. My parents say that now she will just stand and stare blankly during the day at random times but I don't get the same behaviour in my house - only the standing randomly on the deck if I don't guide her in the right direction when I open the back door.

She's also been doing the dirt eating thing - but not with me because she doesn't have access to dirt, only grass.

Her vision is starting to get bad too. She doesn't have cataracts but has what they call lenticular sclerosis which is normal for an old dog. She now misjudges distances and elevations, trips going up the stairs all the time and has developed a habit of making a grab for any hand that comes near her face (as if she thinks any hand comming near her is giving her food). She'll even do it if you're hands are at your sides and you walk past her swinging them a bit, or if you reach to pet her.

[bcnewe2]

I had to add a new "old" dog behavior that could lead to a problem...

 

So Pach has always been a walking pooper. BUt with old age it's gotten a bit worse, he'll walk out the door and let the poop start dropping.

No biggie, just watch where you step. Actually it's easier, he's a poop eater so easier to find it to try and beat him picking it up instead of letting him eat it.

Just yesterday I found 2 poop plops in the house. It's not bad, I can pick it right up, not diarehea. Today I picked up 2 more plops. I let him out right before I went to school this evening, I saw him out there pooping. I came home 2 hours later and picked up a new plop. DH says he picked one up while I was at school.

I think I've figured out that when he barks (see earlier post where I say he's started barking his old man bark more often now) it pushes the poop out. I don't think he even realizes it.

 

I'm wondering if the Proin I give old Jazz for incontinence might work for this issue. It's an antihistamine that tightens the bladder muscles. Could it possibly tighten the sphincter muscle too? Guess I'll be calling the vet.

 

It's a good thing we love these old guys....Who else would I not get upset for letting poop plops fall out all over the house?!! Hope someone loves me as much when I'm that old!

[NorthfieldNick]

Kristin, I don't think Proin will work for pooping. Our old Stinky dog, who died last year at 16+, was a walking pooper, too. She'd be heading toward the door, and dropping turds on the way. It was frustrating then, but it's funny now. In any case, she was on Proin forever for old lady leakiness, but it never did a thing to curb her pooping. We just got used to watching her for "that walk" and hurrying her out the door.

 

Stinky would do that stop & stare thing, too. Her mind never went, but her body did, and I think that frustrated her. She wanted to be the fun police to the other dogs, but she just couldn't make her body move fast enough. She was a total mountain goat when she was younger, climbing everything. She definitely wanted to come on walks with us when she got too old to go very far.

 

Oh, poor old Stinky! She was a such a curmudgeonly old lady, but we miss her still.

[bcnewe2]

Ha the fun police! Hadn't thought of that in years.

Jazz is not the fun police but once long ago she had a passion for the vacuum cleaner. She'd chase it now and then when I was running it. Not very bad but all the same she loved it.

She hasn't done that in years. Yesterday I was vacuuming and had put Dew (the current resident vacuum killer) outside so I could just get the job done. Jazz wakes up from her old lady nap and jumps up (stumbles a bit but none the less it was a jump up for sure) she comes shuffling over at high speed old lady, remembering when she used to be resident head vacuum killer. She bit at the head a couple times then you could see her standing there scratching her little black head trying to remember why she ever did that in the first place. She tried it again, found nothing satisfiying in it and shuffled back to her happy nappy place on the couch.

Dew was quite relieved to know she would retain the lead position of vacuum killing.

 

Thanks Melanie for taking us down this wonderful world of oldsters and sharing stories. It's put a smile on my face when I'm picking up poop plops and touching my old man to tell him he can stop barking now.

These are such worthy dogs, It's the least we can do!