I was over at a friend’s house yesterday. Hadn’t been over in a few weeks, and was surprised at how grey her dog’s muzzle had gotten. I commented on it, and she agreed that the change had come quickly.
While I was outside with my own dogs, I noticed how much Moose’s coloring has changed over the last few years. His chin was the first to start going grey; the color has advanced down his muzzle. But that’s not the only change. His snout used to be nearly all black — now it’s a mix of brown and black. His ears used to be all black, and now they’re mostly brown. On his back and sides, his dark brown coat has lightened.
Then I took a good look at Lally. She’s lighter in color, so it’s harder to see the changes. But they’re there. Her muzzle is lightening, too.
I hate to admit it, but my dogs are getting old. By my estimate, Moose is now nine and Lally is eight — both in senior citizen territory for large dogs.
Their insides seem to be changing with age, too. Moose’s stomach has gotten more sensitive — to the point where I’ve needed to switch from regular food to “sensitive stomach” formulas. Lally’s skin has gotten more sensitive — she has had bad allergic reactions to some kinds of flea and tick prevention, and she’s more prone to hotspots. Lally doesn’t have the stamina for or interest in hours and hours of playing ball. Moose gets gimpy if our walks are too long.
Is this what happens to all of us? Do we suddenly look around and realize that our closest companions have aged… and start wondering how we’ve aged, too? Because now I’m tempted to go check MY coat… er… hair for strands of grey.
I don’t like to think about my dogs getting older. I end up thinking about how our time together will end, what I’ll do when they’re gone. What I should really be doing is enjoying the present, and filling whatever time we have together with love.