Gus will be reaching the ripe old age of ten in May (that's 70 to him), and he was starting to slow down a bit. A lot more sleeping, pretty lethargic, you know...old dog stuff, I figured. The vet took a gander at him during his check up and told me he had some thyroid stuff going on. She put him on some doggie meds and doggone if that dog isn't acting like a puppy again. He can sprint 0-60 across the backyard after a squirrel just like when he was 2.
He's still constantly in trouble for eating things he isn't supposed to, most recently crayons. ("Mommy! He's going to have funny colored poop!") He still hasn't touched wasabi since the incident in Texas, but cleans the floor under Pigpen's chair after every meal.
The only manner in which he is showing his age is His Schedule. His, mind you, not mine. The dog has enforced his own old man schedule, complete with early dinner and bedtimes. Here's his schedule of choice:
7:45 Wolf down chow and old man pill. Go outside. Howl.
7:50 Nap in mommy's bed.
8:45 Clean up the floor after Pigpen's breakfast.
8:50 Exhausted. Nap all morning. Avoid boys.
12:00 Go outside. Pee. Howl. Look at sun. Bark.
12:30 Clean up floor after Pigpen's lunch.
1:30 When mommy descends stairs from putting boys down for nap, twirl in circles like lunatic until dinner is served. Yes, dinner. Followed by a nap.
4:00 Clean up floor after Pigpen's snack
4:!5 Go outside with boys. Run from them. Bark at anyone walking by. Dig joy hole. Howl. Pee.
4:30 Nap while boys are outside.
7:00 Clean up floor after Pigpen's dinner.
7:45 When mommy descends stairs from putting boys to bed, twirl in circles like a lunatic until old man pill is served with some kibble.
7:50 Head straight to mommy's bed. Lounge under covers and snuggle with mommy until 10:30 when forcibly removed by daddy from bed for outside pee. Courtesy howl to rile up hound dogs through woods.
10:30 Relocate to dog bed in laundry room. Pout. Sleep until morning.
It's a dog's life they say. I think Gus has it down to a science. He may be a little grayer than you remember him, but here's how I found him last night when I came to bed to read:
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6 comments:
Oh, this makes me miss my Sierra beagle girl something fierce. :( Almost every day, we comment on how AWESOME it would've been to have her here to clean up all of Rowan's messes! And, confession: we've been talking A LOT about maybe possibly getting another dog this year. I'll ask, "What kind?" And Roth always answer, "A beagle, I think." Right? I mean, we know what we'd be getting into again, and yet, that doesn't scare me one bit. I miss the ears and the nose and the snuggles. This time, though, I think we'd want to rescue a beagle. Stay tuned ... :)
You know, I thought about you when I was writing this. I love beagles so much, but I think if I was to do it again, I'd rescue a beagle mix. Every beagle mix I have met doesn't have the HOWLING thing or the EATING thing quite so severely. But, yes, definitely on the rescue. I wish I had known then how many beagles need homes. They're hard dogs to love! But if you know what you're getting into, they're great!
I love Gus. He is one lucky dog. Thanks for the update.
The vet just prescribed my dog Buster (9.5 yrs old) some thyroid medicine. I hope he reacts the same way.
You are such a good dog mom! We kicked our dogs off the beds/furniture when kids came along. Hannah told me yesterday that I never paid any attention to Clubber and never even pet him. That made me feel like you know what. Dogs are great...they teach us how to love. :)
I'm going to guess that Gus is a lot more manageable in a bed than Clubber was!
yes and we had two of them at one time...gross!
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