Golden Days
As I write this, my old girl Sophie is asleep on the dog bed beside me. She lies awkwardly due to degenerative spinal trouble, one of a number of age-related problems that limit her activity. She is sixteen now, blind and quite deaf, living a well-deserved quiet retirement.
We adopted Sophie at four years of age. She was retiring from kennel life having produced two litters for her breeder. Although she didn’t excel in the show ring, her son, grandson and great grandson certainly did. (Apparently the judges thought her ears too small but in my opinion, they are one of her most delightful physical attributes.) She pranced into our house and promptly declared herself queen, much to our younger dog Danny’s dismay. In her prime, Sophie was the scourge of the backyard, dispatching with typical terrier enthusiasm any small creature which strayed into her territory. Once she had acquired the target, she was relentless in pursuit. And heaven forbid you should try and get between her and her prey! She and Danny held daily Lakie races in the backyard and through the house, tearing back and forth, snapping and snarling at one another, all in good fun of course. They kept watch over the neighbourhood from the back of the couch and napped together in the sunshine. The three of us walked many miles together and it was always Sophie, my little Energizer bunny, who didn’t want to turn back, who didn’t want the walk to end. And in spite of having been a bit henpecked, Danny really has enjoyed her company.
Her life now is much more sedate. She sleeps long and often. She used to sleep on my bed but after losing her sight, she was frightened of falling. She no longer enjoys rides in the car since she has trouble getting comfortable but I still take her now and then just to give her a break from the house. She needs to go outside during the night for a pee break (not much fun if the weather is inclement but on clear nights I can take a few moments to enjoy the night sky while I wait for her). Being blind, she sometimes gets disoriented and I’ll find her under a chair or stuck in a corner awaiting rescue. Some days she moves around quite well, other times, she sways and stumbles. A joint supplement has helped her mobility but on bad days I sometimes need to position my feet on either side of her to keep her upright while she eats. Happily, she is still enthusiastic about meals and snacks. She loves to cuddle and her favourite pastime is napping on the recliner in the early morning with Danny and me. He lays across my legs and she nestles into the crook of my arm, her head resting on my chest. I pull the throw up over us and we doze until the sun warms and wakes us. These are moments that I treasure. I know she’s living on borrowed time. But for now we will enjoy each other’s company and I’ll care for her as long as she is comfortable and content. For our old dogs, our old friends are priceless.
“When you bring a pet into your life, you will learn the true measure of love. The steadfast, undying kind that says, “It doesn’t matter where we are or what we do, or how life treats us as long as we are together.”
Update: Sophie went to the Rainbow Bridge today May 12th. She had taken a turn for the worse and could no longer stand. We cuddled all afternoon before saying goodbye. We miss her terribly.
Copyright 2021 Anne Corke
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Our dear, DEAR Sophie..❤❤❤❤❤❤