Bliss joined our family very early on, when, about a month or two after the wedding, I started getting anxious to be a mommy. Bliss was supposed to be a remedy to satisfy the baby itch.
Satisfy the baby itch she did not, but she has been THE best dog, the most loyal canine companion a family could ever ask for. So many family memories we have made, she has been a part of, from driving in the car with a little furball puppy's head out the window, to her not wanting to leave her spot under the crib when each of the children were born, to going on a family walk and having to carry her home in the stroller when she got too weak to go any further. Recently it dawned on us that she has stopped freaking out in thunderstorms and she no longer comes when we call her. She is deaf. She also has cataracts and hypothyroidism. She hobbles when she walks, and sometimes she falls and it takes her a while to get back up again. But that doesn't stop her from hobbling down to the pond and taking a swim just about every day or fetching a ball every now and then.
She has gotten so stinky recently that we took her to the groomer and had them shave all her fur off to make it easier to care for her. That is when we found out that along with all of her other ailments, she has also become incontinent. Poor old dog. Believe it or not there is a pill for that and it is working! Thank goodness! I didn't know what I was going to do with an old, loveable, but incontinent dog!
I googled the life expectancy of a golden retriever and the average was about 12 years. She will be 14 soon. I am trying not to dwell on the inevitable.
Here she is, our sweet 14 year old Bliss, enjoying her last days/months/years (?) on the Urban farm. It will surely be a sad day when she is no longer here with us.
13 comments:
My fondest memory is when a certain young guy broke my heart, and I was in my room crying and she came in, jumped on the bed and snuggled me. She is the best dog!
Oh I just love that sweet face! I grew up with a Golden, and there's nothing but sweetness (and love for balls and water) in them.
We found that adding "Glucosamine with MSM" is really helping one of our dogs with her aching back legs. Just a cheap bottle from the pharmacy (Walmart or elsewhere) will do the trick. Of course, you're already doing so much for her...call the vet to see if the glucosamine would help. It takes a few weeks to see a difference.
I bet she is so soft with her new haircut!
We too, loved the movie (and the book) Marley and Me. It made us think of our dear Nala Bear, now 13. Although she is a mutt (rottweiler/doberman/chow) she is the sweetest dog. She too, has cataracts, hip dysplasia and she has a hard time hearing (although she's not completely deaf). Her nose is the only thing that still works as advertised. She still enjoys an occasional swim in the pond and definitely looks forward to her daily walks, although they are much shorter these days. I don't know what we'll do if she ever becomes incontinent. I can't see my hubby waiting for the meds to work and she's never been an outdoor dog. At least we'll have the other three to keep us company (pit bull mix and two yellow labs) when Nala goes to the Rainbow Bridge.
Natalie
www.adoptyaroslav.blogspot.com
Yep, now I'm BAWLING. What a sweet friend. You are so blessed to have had so many wonderful years with her.
Alison
What an absolute beauty she is. I love your blog and have never posted but being a huge fan of furry friends, this one got me. Blessings to your family, including your beauty Bliss.
We have an old dog too,13. She's been thru a lot ofstuff with me. And watching that movie has made me paranoid. Every little twitch she has at night wakes me up and I call out her name hoping that the time hasn't come for her toleave.
What's the saying, Old Gold is the best. Cherish every moment, we just lost our Golden, Tigger last week...he was 9 1/2. I hope you have many more years of happiness and memories.
Awwww...very sweet. We lost our dog (a siberian husky) a year and a half ago and it was tough. She was one month shy of 11 and sooooo unexpected (she died in her sleep). Dogs are such great companions. We have since tried to add a lab puppy to the family, but sadly we couldn't keep her. It's tough going from a mellow old dog to a psycho-hyper puppy. I hope to maybe adopt an older dog someday.
I like her new haircut. She looks refreshed. We have two dogs both young, we are anxiously awaiting the mellowing out stages of their lives'. But they do bring us joy along with muddy paw prints across every surface of my house. However, I don't know what our lives' would be like w/o them.
Aww sweet Bliss! How sad! I hope she has a bit more time with you. It is so hard!
I'll never forget the first day you had her....she was racing through the weeds and gave me my first bout with poison ivy. Sweet girl, I forgive her!
(Sniff) What a wonderful post, Bliss sounds like the best dog ever.
I LOVE Golden's! THEY ARE THE BEST!
I hope she has longer with you than ou expect. Losing a dog is so sad. I still have not recovered.
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