One of the most heartbreaking things about caring for animals is watching them struggle as they age. Emma, a golden retriever, graced our life for 11 years after we adopted her at age 4. Here she is, age 13, contemplating a porch step at our friends’ home in the Florida Keys. She’s preparing to brave it, aware of the pain her arthritic hips will cause. Once she conquered the step, though, she didn’t dwell on the pain or the difficulties of getting older. She just moved on and continued to enjoy her life.
What a beautiful coat on old Emma! It’s true – dogs rarely complain about anything. Lucky you, to have had Emma and now the wonderful Lucy!
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Such a sweet girl…and those hip issues are a real problem (caused, like so many other canine ailments, by bad breeding practices)…
YogaforCynics´s last blog post ..Sutras on the Half Shell
Thank you, Svasti. Yes, Emma was beautiful. Unfortunately, her early years weren’t easy ones for her, but she was still a very sweet girl. Her loss was so awful.
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Hi drjay and yes, she was sweet. The hip problems started when she got older, but she also suffered early on from epileptic seizures. She tended to be very defensive about her food and whenever we tried to move her off of furniture. In other words, she could be a meanie. I always wondered if that was because of bad breeding or because of what she endured her first four years.
Wow, for a retriever to be defensive about that, she must’ve had a really hard time early on, poor thing…good thing she got to spend the rest of her years with you…
YogaforCynics´s last blog post ..Sutras on the Half Shell
Aw… poor Emma. Believe it or not, but my heart breaks to see these kinds of things. Just look at how sad she looks on that second picture. There is a saying that you can only feel true compassion if you have experienced true suffering. I guess I’ve been a dog myself (or something similar to a dog) in a previous lifetime and I went through exactly the same thing Emma is going through today. Come to think of it, maybe it’s also the reason why I bark at other cars.
Ryhen | Mind Power´s last blog post ..Knock, Knock! Who’s There? Occult Symbols…
Twitter: secretforest
Oh, look at those eyes! Her photo in Road Trip is also great, I’m sure she was a noble, lovable friend.
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Twitter: craftybird
What a great lesson. And what a lovely dog Emma looks.
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Emma, looks so beautiful…it is difficult to be with a dog, a part of your family, age.
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Hi again, drjay. I always felt that Emma may have been left outdoors too much, although she knew some commands and was very good inside the house. We could feel a bb in her back, so apparently she had been shot, and she was very unkempt. It was obvious, too, that she was never socialized with other dogs and wasn’t interested in doggie activities like toys or water. We found her at a shelter south of here that didn’t cooperate with area golden retriever rescues and was also not no-kill, so we’re really glad that we found her. Who knows what else the poor girl went through.
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Hi Ryhen, and yes, it is heartbreaking. Poor Emma was really feeling her years here, and she lived another two. They love us unconditionally and depend on us for their well-being, so if we fail there… Not to be judgmental or anything, but maybe those who treat animals badly should have to suffer the same treatment. You might want to have the barking-at-cars thing checked out…kinda doesn’t sound healthy. :o)
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Hi Fullet and thanks. (Oh all right, I guess I’ll drop Secret forest! :o) Yes, she always had those sad, droopy eyes and they were even more so as she aged. Despite her edginess, she was loyal and lovable.
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Hi Bird. Yeah, such a simple lesson that is second nature to animals. Emma would thank you for the compliment if she were here, so I’ll say “thank you!” for her. :o)
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Hi SomethingJust and thanks. They’re a joy to live with, but losing them is so very hard. Still, caring for one means one less suffering under who-knows-what kind of conditions…speaking of rescues here.
Oh I know what it’s like to watch them age and see them struggle. I 2 chocolate labs that both lived to be about 13. The male had such a hard time getting up in the morning, he got to the point where he was actually dragging his hind legs behind him for about the first 20 minutes or so until he could get them going. It was heartbreaking to watch him.
ann´s last blog post ..Can you say YUMMMMMMY
Oh, that is so sad, ann. Poor things. Wow, 13 years, though…good for them, although it’s not nearly long enough. We humans want them around forever…
Twitter: Mee2
What a beautiful baby! I just found out my dog has sever hip dylplasia and osteo-arthritis. Her poor hips are so bad that her vet said she honestly was AMAZED she was even walking at all. She went downhill quickly, and there’s not much I can do for her right now, other than pain meds and glucosamine. Technically, she should have a complete hip replacement. It’s very sad when these things happen to our fur babies.
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Hi Melissa and thanks. Oh, poor thing. I remember talking to someone in the dog park once who said she took her dog for acupuncture treatments and that they seemed to help some. I worry about some of those medications as they can cause irreversible organ damage, but I guess you just have to weigh everything…their age, level of pain, etc. Poor things.
Twitter: kathcake
Hello you have some lovely photos on this site. Especially those of poor Emma, as everyone else said she looks so sad in that photo! you really seem to capture the emotion of things. I also think your sunset picture was stunning, nature is really quite beautiful!
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Thanks so much, kathy, and so sorry it took me so long to reply…some of the comments have slipped past me. Glad you like the photos and please come back again! Our dog, Lucy, always likes new visitors. :o)