My dog is driving me crazy. Some people would say that for me it would be a short trip. And for a change it is not my large sheepdog, it is my little 7 pound terrier that is pushing me over the edge.
Bear is a sweet 15 year old dog that has been failing in health over the past several months. He is losing weight, he is mostly blind, completely deaf and seems to be losing …. uhmmm I guess the best way to put it is mental acuity. In other words he is getting senile. That has not been too horrible for the most part, though it has been sad as I have watched his confusion.
However, he has developed a new behavior that I have no answer for. He barks and he barks. If I am getting ready in the morning, he is standing in the doorway barking at me. If I am working in the kitchen he is barking at me. The only time he stops is when I am holding him or if he has fallen asleep somewhere for a while. It would be funny, if it was not so unrelenting. He barks and he barks and he barks. Until I just want to scream “SHUT UP!” But of course I do not. First of all he couldn’t he hear me and second of all, I am not sure that he really knows what it is that he wants. He just knows there is something he wants urgently.
I know that this is yet another sign reminding me that these are his last days with me. I am hoping that he might make it another week or two. I realized today that he is not really happy right now. He does not seem to be in pain, but he is confused and unhappy most of the time. I do not want that for him.
Sigh …. it is such a hard decision. He has been such a sweet little guy and he has lived with me for 14 years. I can’t really bring myself to contemplate what it will be like without him. But I really want to do what is best for him.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Bear is a sweet 15 year old dog that has been failing in health over the past several months. He is losing weight, he is mostly blind, completely deaf and seems to be losing …. uhmmm I guess the best way to put it is mental acuity. In other words he is getting senile. That has not been too horrible for the most part, though it has been sad as I have watched his confusion.
However, he has developed a new behavior that I have no answer for. He barks and he barks. If I am getting ready in the morning, he is standing in the doorway barking at me. If I am working in the kitchen he is barking at me. The only time he stops is when I am holding him or if he has fallen asleep somewhere for a while. It would be funny, if it was not so unrelenting. He barks and he barks and he barks. Until I just want to scream “SHUT UP!” But of course I do not. First of all he couldn’t he hear me and second of all, I am not sure that he really knows what it is that he wants. He just knows there is something he wants urgently.
I know that this is yet another sign reminding me that these are his last days with me. I am hoping that he might make it another week or two. I realized today that he is not really happy right now. He does not seem to be in pain, but he is confused and unhappy most of the time. I do not want that for him.
Sigh …. it is such a hard decision. He has been such a sweet little guy and he has lived with me for 14 years. I can’t really bring myself to contemplate what it will be like without him. But I really want to do what is best for him.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
I know … everything in it’s season. I am just not ready for this season yet.
Just Connie
No comments:
Post a Comment