Downward Dog
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
If you've read some of the earlier posts in this blog, you may by now have realised that we're big animal lovers and that we have a few pets in our household; two cats and a dog, to be precise. We adopted all our pets from the humane societies in Ottawa and Toronto. In April 2006 we adopted a 19-year-old Beagle/Basset Hound mix named Lucky, whose previous owner had passed away after looking after her for 17 years or so. El Franco and I adopted Lucky and she eventually became known in our building as the diaper dog; she was incontinent, due to her advanced age, and we had to put her in a diaper whenever we exited the building when taking her for a walk. We didn't think we'd have Lucky for very long--maybe three months tops--but she surprised us all by hanging in there for a total of 13 months, at which point we had to put her to sleep once her heart started to fail.
The experience was sad, but also enriching.
Not long after Lucky's passing, we decided to adopt another old dog and, after regularly checking their web site, went back to the Toronto Humane Society and came home with a 12-year-old beagle. We've had Sara since around October, 2007, and at first she was completely unsettled at having moved into a new home. She would very often shake uncontrollably in her bed and flinch away if we tried to pet her. She hated going out for walks and didn't enjoy the company of other dogs in the neighbourhood, to the point where she'd turn around and pull on her leash to go back home to her bed. That's pretty much what she does all day, lie in her bed and sleep until it's mealtime.
The experience was sad, but also enriching.
Not long after Lucky's passing, we decided to adopt another old dog and, after regularly checking their web site, went back to the Toronto Humane Society and came home with a 12-year-old beagle. We've had Sara since around October, 2007, and at first she was completely unsettled at having moved into a new home. She would very often shake uncontrollably in her bed and flinch away if we tried to pet her. She hated going out for walks and didn't enjoy the company of other dogs in the neighbourhood, to the point where she'd turn around and pull on her leash to go back home to her bed. That's pretty much what she does all day, lie in her bed and sleep until it's mealtime.
Still, she's a cute dog and after spending time with us for almost 6 months now, seems to be relaxing more. The cats don't bother her; in fact they steer well clear of her, preferring to leave her to her own devices. She's settling in nicely and seems quite comfortable in our presence these days, to the extent that she doesn't shake too much anymore and even accepts a pat on the head without flinching away. She also seems to be enjoying her walks more and tolerates an unrequited sniff from a friendly dog or two, with an aloofness that's seemly for her age.
Sara's small bed appeared to be just the right size when we first brought her home, and she would curl into a tight ball and remain there for hours on end. That's not the case these days, though, and she gaining a reputation for practising her own version of Yoga, with the bed being her floor mat. Here are a few photos of Sara, caught in a number of positions as she excercises and stretches her old bones.
Labels: dog, pets, sara, toronto humane society, yoga
1 Comments:
The fourth is my favorite!
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