Soooo…. I was looking at Lily today, as I often do, sitting there making eye contact as she tries to give me a little face wash, and I thought to myself, I’ve only had her going on three years, and the vet said she was 4-5 when I got her, so that should make her 7-8 years old by now. But for some reason, she seems to be graying, and I had the horrible fear that maybe she was 10-11 when I got her and she is older than I think, and I will only have her in my life for a couple more years. What will I do? How will I go on? How will I sleep, since I can’t sleep unless I feel her next to my torso in between my right arm? Oh, good grief. What if Rosie is only 6 and Lily is 12? I won’t be able to handle that. So here is a picture of her the day I got her:
Now here is a pic from two minutes ago:
Her face sure looks a lot whiter and grayer to me, doesn’t it?
And just so we are clear, that’s right, folks. You are watching this happen live. I am no longer content to limit my hypochondriacal behavior to myself (I coughed- LUNG CANCER. I have a spot of the trots- COLON CANCER. I have a sore throat- THROAT CANCER.). Nope. No sirree. We’re branching out and including the pets.
But she does look grayer, doesn’t she?
Oh, and for those of you wondering about Tunch, here he is inspecting a computer I was working on earlier:
I need to be on valium or something.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
It’s lightening for sure, but man, chill. Aside from her fur changing, she sure as hell doesn’t look like she’s getting old….and ‘lighter’ doesn’t always mean ‘old’. Our old German Shepard/Chow mix used to have a completely cream-colored coat, and as he got older it darkened to an uneven golden-brown on the upper extremities of his body and slightly darker cream once you went down his legs, up to his paws which had the same golden brown.
Until she starts getting age lines and having trouble getting up, I’d say chill and take a couple of Xan-…on second thought, maybe not the best suggestion.
joel hanes
the sun is the same
in a relative way
Omnes Omnibus
Jesus, lad, my grandmother, my dad, and my younger brother went gray before they were 30. All three are still alive; grandma is 90 and living in her own house. So maybe you should chill and not give the girl a complex about her goddamned hair, for fucks sake.
Was that helpful?
Steeplejack
Lighten up, Cole. Some dogs–like people–go gray earlier than others.
/The Silver Fox
Punchy
Speakin of old, I realize no one outside of north chicago burbs will care, but Kerry Freakin Wood just retired. God DAMN that makes me feel old and sad. What a great guy, athlete, and teammate……sigh.
asiangrrlMN
@Omnes Omnibus: Made me laugh, OO. That’s all that matters.
TUNCHIEEEEEEEEE! There’s my sweet baby.
And, Lily doesn’t look old, Cole. Chillax and enjoy her.
@Steeplejack: Steepman! How you be?
Omnes Omnibus
@Punchy: Good riddance.
Sincerely,
A Brewer fan
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: Wot wifey said.
Hi hon. Headed home tomorrow. Can’t wait and shit.
Punchy
@Omnes Omnibus: You’ll feel the same way when Prince Fielder retir….wait a minute…..nevermind.
Corner Stone
Shit. Living with your seriously co-dependent ass would premie gray just about anyone.
Corner Stone
@Punchy: SNAP!
Jewish Steel
@Omnes Omnibus: Meh. A White Sox fan. Nice to send him out on a loss.
John, this is why I have 3 basenjis. Looking at Shiva, the OB (Original Basenji) one day I realized the devastation I would feel when I lost her. So, I got her some back-up.
Omnes Omnibus
@Punchy: Dude, if you can’t see my comment as an expression of respect, you might be a Balloon Juice commenter.
FoxinSocks
Dogs are like people, some of them go gray before others. I have an 8-yr-old mutt whose face went gray when she was five. Hyper creature. I walk her for miles and she never gets tired, but when people see her, they go, “Oh, poor thing, she must be so OLD.”
Nope! She just went gray early and there’s no such thing as Clairol for dogs.
Jewish Steel
@Yutsano: How’s it hangin’ Yutsy. Morphine pump?
@Omnes Omnibus: Also too we are staying at Speckled Hen Inn for a couple of day post wedding. Hooray!
@asiangrrlMN: S’up?
Jewish Steel
Moderation? For this:
@Yutsano: How’s it hangin’ Yutsy. Morphine pump?
@Omnes Omnibus: Also too we are staying at Speckled Hen Inn for a couple of day post wedding. Hooray!
@asiangrrlMN: S’up?
Omnes Omnibus
@Jewish Steel: You know that they have llamas, right?
Gretchen
No, she doesn’t look grayer. Cue the Valium
Steeplejack
@asiangrrlMN:
After all that talk about “sleep hygiene,” I just got up a couple of hours ago after sleeping from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m. WTF. So I’m up for a while. But I didn’t get much sleep last night and took a tiring (but enjoyable) day trip to Annapolis today. Ate lunch overlooking the water at Cantler’s Riverside Inn on Mill Creek. Yum.
How you?
Corner Stone
So…SiteKeys…someone tell me again why I’m supposed to agree they credential a website?
Suffern ACE
@FoxinSocks: I’m not endorsing this in the least, but yes there is clairol for dogs http://www.petedge.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=57377&cm_mmc=Shopping-_-GoogleShop-_-ShampoosConditionersColognes-_-TP75517&sa=X&ei=iS63T6GUF4HC6AGM0_TJCg&ved=0CG4QgwgwAg
janeform
Seriously John. My dog was diagnosed with a bad-ass disease three and a half years ago when he was 10, and I spent tons of time worrying that he was going to die. Every time I bought another package of freaking poop bags, I’d think, oh no, he’s not gonna make it through these. Well, now he’s 14 and still going strong, and I gave up the gloom and doom a while ago. Much better. Just enjoy your sweet Lily every day and stop worrying.
asiangrrlMN
@Jewish Steel: I’m trying to decide what game should be my first non-casual video game. Discuss.
@Yutsano: I read that as ‘Can’t wait to shit.’ Ha! ::tight huuuuugz::
@Steeplejack: My sleep is even more borked than usual. I slept from 3 p.m. to roughly 8 p.m. Gah.
Corner Stone
It actually looks like he’s praying.
“Oh please most benevolent Allah. Take me, your humble servant, far away from this hot mess of a human.”
“I mean, have you seen this sad sack motherfucker?”
sfinny
Strange timing. I was sitting on my patio trying to figure out how old my cat may be: adopted in 2004 at an estimated age of 3. So therefore around 11. But could be older.
Lily looks like a really happy dog. Don’t think anything else matters.
asiangrrlMN
@Steeplejack: Oh, and I’m totally jeluz of you being able to grab good seafood whenever.
Yutsano
@Jewish Steel: They took me off the pump yedsterday. Now I just ggot two Percocet and a muscle relaxer (I spasmed) so in about 30 minutes I will no longer be able to feel my nose. Woot.
@asiangrrlMN: Well… I am waiting on that as well, but discretion and valor and all that stuff and nonsense.
Martin
Who among us doesn’t that apply to?
And yay, Yutsy! Glad it all went well!
Jewish Steel
@Omnes Omnibus: I think that, plus the sheeps (sic), was the Jewess’s motivation.
@asiangrrlMN: Phantasy Star for Sega Genesis is where I dipped out of gaming. I highly recommend it. Unless you are trying to get finish your degree in music.
Julie
My dog is eight, I know because she was a pup when we got her, and she’s getting quite a bit of white hair on her face.
NotMax
Even over there:
Don’t think I’ve ever seen as many iterations of the ’27 per cent’ bloc in a single political story.
Jewish Steel
@Yutsano: Darvocet I’ve had, Percocet no. Darvocet was just okay, I thought.
My lung surgery locked me up tighter than a drum. Bad scene, yo.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jewish Steel: Jewess. I am not sure I have seen that word outside of Ivanhoe. But, congrats and enjoy the fauna.
Just Some Fuckhead
If you can be believed, yes.
Steeplejack
@asiangrrlMN:
My brother and his partner were both off work today (Friday), so that’s why we went. And I remember thinking at the restaurant “Why don’t I do this more? Why don’t I do more stuff in general?”
I am basically on a freelance/unemployed schedule right now, and there are a lot of free/low-cost things I would like to do that I don’t seem to get around to doing. Day hiking is the big one right now. There are tons of hiking opportunities around Washington, and on any given weekday I could just grab my knapsack and go. I just need to do it.
Omnes Omnibus
@Just Some Fuckhead: Good point. How do we know that the photos weren’t photoshopped?
MacKenna
The proof there is no God is that dogs were designed to live less than two decades. John, it doesn’t matter how old Lily is, just treasure every minute you and she are together. When she passes, and it is inevitable she will long before you, your heart will break but you will go on. And hopefully get another wonderful doggie.
As for Tunch, I think he’s inspecting the carpet or maybe peering below the carpet fibers into a realm we all know is hell. Eep.
Corner Stone
@Steeplejack:
Well?
Jewish Steel
@Omnes Omnibus: The Irish Catholic/German (I think every girl I’ve dated/been married to has been this combo) Jewess Steel. Yes.
ETA +2 (my first 2 in, like, 6 weeks. wheee!)
Yutsano
@Omnes Omnibus: The irresponsibility of non-speculation always rears its ugly face. It’s inevitable. Ineffable even.
Jewish Steel
@Corner Stone:
This.
J.W. Hamner
She is aging gracefully and yes, you need a Valium. Is she unable to go for walks like she used to? If she is still fired up for that then you are still in a good place.
brashieel
Looks a little lighter, but my schnauzer went from solid black to a third gray by the time she was 3. Dogs just don’t age the same way.
Also…. TUNCH!
Omnes Omnibus
@Jewish Steel: It is kind of mean to talk about Corner Stone’s “release” that way.
Joseph Nobles
With that tail, Tunch looks like he’s sat on an orange tabby cat and explaining to it how the world works.
Steeplejack
@Corner Stone:
Inertia. There is a gravitational field around the things we habitually do, and it can be hard to break out of that.
suzanne
Truer words, dot dot dot. I’m not throwing stones, I’m the same way. I diagnosed myself with flesh-eating bacteria the other day. My degree in architecture certainly qualifies me to make this indubitably accurate assessment.
I got two new permanent orthodontic retainers put in yesterday, and I can’t figure out how to close my mouth. Where the hell does my tongue go? When I close my mouth, do I actually close my jaw all the way? And they vaguely make me nauseous. This is so weird.
Valium is the only answer.
Corner Stone
@Steeplejack: But you gave up all that. You were a big box monkey and erstwhile programmer. Now you’re a proto-vagabond. You’re a modern day hobo. But whatever you do, don’t take on a surname. Just keep it at Hobo Steep, or maybe Hobo Jack. Otherwise you’ll seem too high and mighty for the crowd you’re running with. And that’s never good.
Kristine
I worry about King the same way. My vets office has dog/human age charts posted in every examining room–King is 11 y.o. and over 90 pounds, which according to the chart puts him somewhere in the 80s in human years. Sometimes, he acts it–he’s sleeping more and more, and he’s slooow in the morning. But later, I watch him romp around with Gaby and I think, a few more years. I think he’ll be around for a few more years.
But I will definitely need to get another pupster before then because Gaby won’t do well alone. She’s very attached to King. A couple of years ago, he had to stay at the vet’s for a day to get a growth removed (benign, thankfully), and she moped around the house and refused to eat.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: What’s a little effluvia among internet friends and spouses?
JoyfulA
@FoxinSocks: Clairol for dogs! Now there’s an idea that could make us all rich. Anybody know any chemistry?
numfar
Our companions are incredibly important to us.
We had an English Mastiff (brindle), friendliest dog you’ve ever seen, he never knew a stranger.
Smoochie had bad knee problems due to a straight confirmation, he was in constant pain, but you would never know it by his tail, which, by the way, could rack you from across the room.
We were lucky enough to have him for 10 years.
Treasure all the years you have with Lily and then use what you learned from her on another rescue when the time comes.
asiangrrlMN
By the way, Cole. I almost lost my Shadow a few months ago – and he’s only six. He’s still with me, thankfully. Cherish every moment you have with Lily, Rose, and TUNCHIE!
Steeplejack
@Corner Stone:
Part of the whole “proto-vagabond” thing is figuring out what’s what, and why. We grapple with unwritten “rules” and self-imposed limits that sometimes we aren’t even aware of. And sometimes it’s easier to do nothing, even when the nothing is not as good as something.
But progress is being made.
suzanne
Open request to the commentariat: do any of y’all have some good vegetarian soup recipes to share? I am trying to muster up the self-loathing required to get back into my skinny jeans, so low-carb/low-cal would be good. HELP.
Bennett
She’s not older than you think. It’s the German Shepherd in her that whitens on the muzzle (& nape sometimes) at a fairly young age (6-8 or 9yo). Most all mutts have German Shepherd. My dog is a mutt very much like her in face & build, & I am sure of his age.
Amir Khalid
Facebook’s IPO has been very good for one Irish singer.
Anne Laurie
John, the mammalian red gene for coat color just isn’t very stable. Irish setters, “blond” Afghan hounds, “chocolate” Labs and “bright coated” Golden Retrievers all tend to go grey young. So do roan horses. And red Persians, flame-pointed Siamese, ruddy Abyssianian cats. Also us thumbed monkeys — I found my first grey hair my sophomore year of high school, and the Spousal Unit’s red beard would’ve been totally white by the time he was in his thirties if not for sartorial chemistry.
Trust your vet, who spent a lot of time & money learning to estimate a dog’s age from better clues. Lily is a perfectly healthy seven or eight-year-old small dog, which means that goddess willing you have another decade to worry obssessively about her health. And a decade from now, who knows what miracles the gerontologists will have discovered?
serena1313
John you’ve got many more years with Lily providing nothing unexpected happens to change that.
Last week my cat of 18.5 years, Trevor, a beautiful seal point Tokinese, passed away suddenly. I was devastated. Trevor was the sweetest cat in the whole world. He was my snuggle-bunny.
Trevor slept with me almost every night. I’d wake-up with him pinned as close as he could get next to my right side & his head laying in the crook of my upper arm/shoulder/chest or he’d be sprawled out on my pillow taking up all but a small corner that he generously left for me. I never understood how he could get in those positions without waking me up.
It had never occurred to me that Trevor would go before Squeakers Anna Marie, my 20 – 21 year old tortie. So I can totally relate & I understand how you feel John.
Look the best advice I can give you is stay in the moment, in the here & now — just enjoy Lily, Tunch & Rosie as much as is possible. We never know when or where, but they do die and so do we; It is inevitable. But when that fateful day happens you will find comfort in relishing the wonder-filled moments you spent enjoying their company rather than wishing you had not wasted time stressing over what neither you nor anyone else has control over anyhow.
If Lily god forbid leaves before Rosie believe me you will be glad she & Tunch will be there to comfort you & vice versa. Animals are instinctive & have e_motions, too. They grieve just like we do. And they need us just as much as we do them. Moreover they love us unconditionally.
One last thing, long before his death I had already told Trevor how much I appreciated & loved him & thanked him for all the joy, companionship, laughter and precious moments we share. Trevor’s death was so sudden that I would not have had that chance otherwise. While I miss my Trevor, Mr. Winston, like crazy, I will always be grateful for his incredible energy. Likewise I’ve already told Squeakers the same thing.
Although I do not know when Squeakers Anna Marie, Ms Fluffer Butte, will leave this plane, but for her, given she is old, deaf, arthritic & has Alzheimers, death will probably be a welcomed relief. I’ll miss her equally as much but differently.
Iam blessed to have had Trevor for 18.5 years & Squeakers for 20 – 21 years. My life is better for it. And Iam a better human being.
Enjoy & Love Lily, Rosie & Tunch while they are still here. Tell them what you need to & you’ll have closure. You do not want to look back with regrets: I should have …, I could have …, why didn’t I …, if only I had … Life is too short.
Even though Lilly is not going anywhere, not for some time, try to stay in the Here & Now as much as possible. I know, easier said than done … You won’t regret it!
Raven
Bohdi was pure white when we found him 8 1/2 years ago. People are often commenting how he’s turning so much darker. We know exactly how old he is but the same kind of thinking creeps in for us. Lil Bit, on the other hand, is the same as Lily. We have no idea how old she is and with all the problems she has it’s disconcerting. I can do all that bullshit philosophy, we’ve saved her with all the things we’ve done to address her anemia and eye problems but I still worry.
piratedan
its nearly 0200, wtf am I doing up? ohh yeah, I’m goofing off, my bad… Charlie, turn off the alert siren would ya?
All I can say is that I am glad to be home… what a year it’s been… so many people to thank and things to be thankful for… appreciate you folks, for your sympathy, your insight and your friendship. ZOne of these days gonna have to get off my lazy ass and organize a Tucson BJ meetup but it won’t be this day because on this day, I’m celebrating the juvenile selfish part of me that means I can stay up late and not do a damn thing tomorrow, until the wife gets home…..
kdaug
The Golden’s nose changes from red in the winter to black in the summer.
Don’t sweat it.
Raven
@piratedan: Ah, wolf a chile relleno at the El Charro for me!
piratedan
@Raven: I know, I know, I have to make the rounds to all of my favorite places again, so far only able to have hit half of the dives so far, the upscale stuff has to wait a bit. have been wondering if Nimbus would be a good gathering point for the BJ meetup tho
mai naem
I don’t know why you expect Lily to die so young. She’s a dog on the small to medium size. Certainly not a big dog. I would figure on her living to around 15. Granted you don’t know what happened to her in her first few years, but you look after her very well so I would expect her to live until 15ish. If you lose her, I really feel it will be due to an accident – getting hit by a car rather than naturally.
Raven
@piratedan: Ah, I get there so seldom I didn’t realize the El Charro was high dollar. My buddy that lives there takes us so I may not have paid! I do have plenty of calendars around the house. I spent a lot more time out there in the 70’s when it seemed like every hippie in Champaign-Urbana went there or Boulder. How did I end up in Georgia??
Raven
@mai naem: Because he’s Woody Allen.
Older_Wiser
A guy who just turned 28 on Monday is now worth almost $20B: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-17/facebook-raises-16-billion-in-biggest-technology-ipo-on-record.html
A few of his buddies are also billionaires now, too.
They got rich from selling your personal information. And look who they’re in bed with now, the really big crooks: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-17/facebook-raises-16-billion-in-biggest-technology-ipo-on-record.html
Really, what’s to be admired and get all excited about?
piratedan
@Raven: well in comparison to most of the other Mexican places, its high end but Tucson has a boatload of mom and popitas that are responsible for that. The breadth of Mexican food here is varied, we have Mexico City food in addition to baja, texmex and Norteno cooking. So its a ymmv kind of thing.
Raven
@piratedan: And Sonoran! I like the El Bravo on 7th in Phoenix. Damn relleno burros are badass!
bemused
I don’t know why so many of us humans just can’t seem to fully enjoy the beautiful moments in life without Debbie Downer thoughts intruding. I guess we humans need to work at it. I envy our well-loved pets. They are truly fully and happily engaged in the present
Our two young cats have not been coming to sleep with us at night since our MN weather has warmed up. There are wonderful smells drifting through the windows, birds to watch and moths/flies to catch. One was just hunting a moth about the size of a pea. She sat on her haunches and grabbed it in midair with her two front paws. The hunting/torturing instinct is so strong in kitties. We watch them walk around with a live quarter sized moth in their mouths, just a bit of the moth sticking out. Then they drop the moth on the floor, chase the fluttering moth around until it’s a goner and eat it. It’s no fun if it’s not moving anymore. If they ever manage to sneak outside, we’d have a horrible time getting them back inside.
Culture of Truth
My grandmother went white when she was in her 30s and lived to be 100.
Also, in three years Barack Obama has gone gray and I wouldn’t put him out to pasture just yet.
Concerned Citizen
My guess is she’ll live mid to late teens. The crappiest thing about owning dogs is death. Every time one has died I’ve sworn off getting another. 2 – 3 months later I have another dog (or 2 if the shelter sells me hard enough)
You’ve got a lot of time left, Chillax.
p.a.
yeah, muzzle graying is variable and not really worrisome. checkups are ok? weight is good? never let her roam without a leash? you’re doing all you can do. but I’m not going to sit here and tell u not to obsess; doesn’t seem to be in your wiring. and of course most canines are social animals and very perceptive of their group situation, and dogs have been bred even more so, so maybe Lily is picking up on your anxieties? has there been a proven link in humans between anxiety and graying? my dad’s cousin lost all his head hair during sleep after his first paratroop training jump during WW II. never grew back.
donnah
We adopted our dog Wendy when she was six months old. She’s a tricolor foxhound/beagle mix and she had an adorable black widow’s peak at the top of her head. Now she’s ten, and there’s no black on her head at all. I found an old photo of her recently and couldn’t believe how different she looked. But she’s still healthy, fit, and as active as ever.
Don’t worry!
Maude
This is a great post. Zanax might help.
Culture of Truth
Where is Lily’s birth certificate??
geg6
Oh, Cole. Be glad she’s a small dog and should live another decade or so. I never had pets until my John and I got together. And I feel I’ve made up for that ever since, what with our beautiful boys, Henry and Otis. I thought I’d never get over it when we had to put Henry down earlier this year. I’m still sad when I think of him and still miss him, but Otis is still here and is the sweetest goggie ever. Sadly, both Otis and Henry are big dogs, not meant to live much longer than a decade or so. Otis is, we think, 5 now. I try not to think about what will happen in another 5-7 years. But we love him to death and don’t worry about it too much.
In good news, a GOPer political sister act has been taken down, ignominiously. State Senator Jane Orie was convicted and had to resign a couple of months ago. Her sister Janine, their enforcer, is set to go on trial soon. And the other sister, State Supreme Court Justice, Joan Orie-Melvin, was locked out of her chambers today and indicted. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that these corrupt, sanctimonious beyotches are going down, likely with prison time. Made my year.
CynDee
“Happy day, sun or rain —
Live it, for it never comes again . . .”
Try not to worry so much, John. Keep yourself healthy if not for your own sake, for Lily’s. Look at Lily, pet her, and be peaceful.
I know several dogs who lived to be 18. They lived in happy homes where they were loved and had good food and exercise and a cozy place to sleep.
Rarely Posts
Don’t worry, lots of pup’s gray early. My little pug pup started graying at 5 or 6, and he lived to 15.
http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/doggeneral/a/caringseniordog.htm
Carnacki
John, reading this reminded me of my own girl Lucy and now my keyboard is wet with tears of sadness AND happiness. Here’s the thing you may not know, John. They never leave us. They always live on in our hearts. Lucy is still with me even when I “miss” her
gelfling545
Some dogs gray earlier, just like people. My own dog started doing gray at about 4 and we knew her date of birth. She’s 9 now, grayer & a little arthritic, but going strong.
ZaftigAmazon
John, vets usually estimate age of dogs by condition and wear of the teeth. If anything, he may have overestimated her age.
cmm
Relax, sweetie. She has plenty of yearsleft. Our chihuahua/min pin mix is around 8 also, and is also going quite gray/white and jowly but still very feisty and energetic. Our prevois small dogs lived to be 16 and 17 and I figure my Joey and your Lily are going to be similar.
Skepticat
You mean I’m not the only one who agonizes like this? JC, I know precisely how you feel, and don’t let anyone minimize it. We may be soft as pudding about our animals, but sorry, y’all, that’s the way we are.
My cats were strays, so for them too there was only a vet’s best guess on their ages. Only one–the most perfect cat in the world, probably eleven or twelve now–survives, though the other two pampered, strictly indoor felines each lived to be what probably was eighteen or nineteen. I have to work at not thinking about losing him but rather at enjoying every moment with him.
A feral cat has a litter of four living here. I’ve never had a kitten, but it might be time–if TMPCITW agrees. Traveling with only one animal is much easier, but I’ll need something to cling to when my perfect companion is gone.
To be candid, there have been times reading your posts about Lily when I’ve thought about how horrible it will be for you when the time finally comes that she’s no longer with you. However, re-read what Serena1313 @59 has to say, especially about the comfort your other animals provide. (And Serena, I’m so sorry about Trevor.)
Mnemosyne
To me it looks more like Lily may be a bleached blonde. Has she been at the peroxide bottle, or is it just because she gets to play outdoors, unlike when she was owned by the pet hoarder?
JCT
@piratedan: Yes! I am slowing working my way through them, want to try Mi Nidito soon if I can avoid the crowds.
Count me in for an eventual Tucson BJ meetup — Raven come on out here!
And hey, JC, leave sweet Lily alone. Our faux beagle went grey at 6 and um, I went grey at 30 and am now white haired at 49 (at least for 2 more weeks, sigh) — just give her an extra cuddle a day to keep her nice and young.
jl
Very late to this thread, but I am obligated to thank Cole for pet pix.
Nice pick of Lily, but why does Cole not ask the vet if you are worried about her age?
And, does Cole not understand by now, to KEEP THE TUNCH AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER!?. He is up to something.
Cole should not that by now.
And, where is Rosie? Keeping track of Rosie should be priority key number one. For Dog’s sake, Cole knows she is in league with Tunch in hatching deviltry.
suzanne
@piratedan:
I’d drive down to E Old Pueblo for that, if Phoenicians are invited.
Or we could do it up here and meet at Four Peaks.
Andree-Anne Desmedt
Lily is not greyer. It’s the light in the second photograph that make her appear greyer (photo is overexposed). Lily is a much-loved, well-taken care of, doggy, i.e. a happy doggy. She has many years ahead of her. What’s this with Rosie, though? I know that she’s playing second fiddle to Lily but really… You yourself acknowledged that she is a now a different doggy than she was when you rescued her. Give yourself credit for making her feel secure and happy.
As for Tunch, well, he is universally loved.
Pat Wallace
Having been owned by a series of labradors over the last 35 years, your fear of loss resonated with me. I thought to share the obit we posted for our Strider when he passed suddenly in 2009 at age 11.
Pat Wallace
hmmm, there was supposed to be a link in there. I will try once again–then admit that perhaps I am not actually aware of all of the internet traditions.
Patty
John, my lab, Chaucer, is 5 years old next month and his chin has turned solidly grey
in the last year. Trust your vet re Lilly’s age. Now go have a drink and worry about the sunspots on the back of your hands. They could def be melanoma. :)
Devon
Oh sweet Jebus. It isn’t just me. Huck had tremors in his sleep so I took him to the vet ASAP because I was convinced he had developed some neurological disorder, had lymes disease, or had been poisoned. None of the above. 200 bones later- sparkling, clean bill of health. And the relief I felt was so worth it. Has pet hypochondria been diagnosed?
Triassic Sands
Sadly, there are lots of ways beloved pets can go before old age takes them.
It’s also possible the vet estimated Lily’s age on the high side and she’s actually younger than you think. She’s a small dog and small dogs live longer (generally), so you’re likely to get more years with Lily than large dog owners get with their furry friends.
It is worth remembering, but not dwelling on, the fact that any of us could go at any time. Enjoy the time you have with Lily and just hope you’re there to comfort her at the end.
Hang in there, Lily, John’s worrying won’t shorten your life.
Patricia Kayden
Lily and Tunch are so cute. You should post their photos every day.
You can’t worry about how old Lily is — just enjoy her while she’s here. I have a boxer and a boxer/lab mix. I already know that they probably will die when they reach 10. Both my neighbor and a workmate have told me that they lost their boxers from cancer at ages 8-10, so it’s inevitable. I simply enjoy my dogs while they’re around and make sure they enjoy comfortable, active lives.
Nancy Moser
I don’t think you need valium, I think you need to stop thinking about John Cole for awhile. The ME channel is turned up full volume in your head.
Jill
John, it’s part of the bargain we make when they let us into their lives.
As for the hypochondria, I’ve got a capillary insufficiency that my dermatologist told me was Schamberg’s exczema, but which I’ve convinced myself is cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Right now Maggie (white cat) has a tiny black spot in her ear and I’m already convinced it’s melanoma.
Meanwhile, my patron saint of hypochondria is comedian Marc Maron, who last year beat imaginary mouth cancer.
MsFortune
Your dog appears to be pretty overweight, maybe even obese. It’s an issue for dogs – not just people – so if you are worried about your dog getting old / sick / dying, I’d focus on what is in your control – diet and exersize.
I’ve had a dog go gray at bout 6 YO. So don’t read too much into it.