I’m Learning To Be Gentle With My Aging Dog

If you’ve been following me for some or most of the time I’ve been writing, you know that one of my very best friends is my little dog, Libby. Or Mooch, as she’s known to immediate family, a few friends, and some social media contacts. She lives up to that name and then some.

My good friend Tom Russo actually nicknamed her Mooch. He’s an online friend from Delaware that I talk to daily. We’re both Italian, so we call each other “Cuz”, short for cousin. I’ve mentioned him in a number of my writing pieces.

He started seeing how many pics of Libby I’d post on Facebook constantly. In many of which, she’d be begging for our food. There’s nothing more Mooch loves than a good snack or treat. Evidently, she likes my cooking far more than her dog food. So Russo started calling her “The Mooch”, and it stuck.

Lately, Libby has been a little slower than normal. She has a three-step set of stairs that she runs up to get onto our bed. She’s far quicker and more agile on it when I have lunch or dinner up here in our bedroom when I’m in the middle of writing. You can see how pleased she is when she’s attempting to use her Mooch-powers to secure a snack.

I try to be responsible when it comes to Libby and People Food. Tiny little bites for a smaller dog. Her person (our daughter) gets a little pissed off if we feed her our food. I get it. It’s not the healthiest thing in the world to feed your dog People Food. Again, tiny bites make for a happy Mooch.

But we have to be careful with her. She’s 10 1/2 years old now. We’ve only had her over at our house for about half her life now. She was originally Kiera’s dog at her dad’s house. Kiera has known her since she was a puppy, (Mooch, not Kiera), but we’ve only known Libby for about half that time.

At some point, Kiera wanted Libby with her all of the time. Her dad asked us if we’d be ok having Libby come with Kiera when they’d come over for a week at a time, then she and her brother would go to his house for the next week. We were agreeable to the idea of having Libby come over for a week on, then a week off with the kids.

I didn’t know I’d grow to love Libby as much as I do. I remember when she first came over that I enjoyed seeing her, but I don’t recall being obsessed with her like I am now. That goes double for my Bride. She LOVES Mooch. We both do. I remember posting this on Facebook when she first started coming over.

She was pretty damn cute. We had watched her a year or two before when our daughter’s dad went on vacation. Once Libby started coming over regularly though, it was a done deal. We fell in love with her, and I think she loved us just as much.

It got to the point where we were sad when she was gone. I mean, ditto about the kids, too. But we were certainly glad when the three of them came back to our house. Especially Libby.

Shit, I hope they don’t get offended by that. I don’t think they read my blogs regularly, so I’m probably in the clear. I’m sure they get it, though. Dogs are special. They don’t want anything from you other than a nice leg or arm to lay against. Perhaps a small taste of whatever you’re eating. Libby is pretty easy to please.

She has gotten so attached to my Bride over time. As close as she and I are, she’s even that much more attached to Mai. She used to sit on the other end of our mirrored glass door to our office and wait patiently for Mama to open the door after her counseling session over the phone was done. It looked a bit like this:

I’d try to coax her back to the bed with me. I’d tell her that Mama would be back soon. She wasn’t having it. She wanted to be in there during the sessions. That was problematic, though. She has a tendency to bark at EVERYTHING outside.

She couldn’t just lay on the floor next to Mai. She’d have to be up on the desk, so she could look out of the window. That’s when the squirrels would chastise her and make her bark. Mooch can be aggressive toward other animals, she’s very defensive.

She’ll look out any window she can to survey the action. She actually has been known to watch my Bride walk to her car on her way to work. She takes her protective duties very seriously.

She’s defensive to the point where she growls or barks if our kids come into our bedroom. She’s even done this to me if I enter the room. There’s something about her mama that brings out the protective vibe in her. I’ve tried reasoning with her. I’ve resorted to bribery with dog treats. Yet Mai is still her favorite, bar none.

Lately, though, it feels like she’s slowing down a bit. Where she’d used to bark at the kids quite aggressively, it seems to be toned down a bit now. The bark is quieter and more brief. That’s not the only thing.

She seems to yelp if we make sudden moves toward her. Not purposefully, but if we move a chair near where she’s sitting. Or if I try to pick her up too quickly. I’m starting to wonder if her eyesight is diminishing and she’s reacting to be surprised.

I don’t think she’s in pain or anything. I’ve petted her and tried to examine her for anything out of the ordinary, lumps, or areas where she seems sensitive to touch. I haven’t found anything of the sort, thankfully.

She seems spry. She’s able to get up and down the main stairs in our home, as well as the 3 steps up to our bed. She’s especially quick with this when we’re carrying food up or down the stairs. During those times, she moves like she’s on American Ninja Warrior.

She’ll miss a step though, once in a while. She made it almost to the top of the bed stairs a few days ago, only to bounce off and roll down to the floor. She also missed one going down our main stairs and took a tumble. Perhaps we should install an elevator.

I’ve been thinking about her age more and more lately. She’s 10 1/2. That’s not young for a dog. Even though she’s half chihuahua and half Pomeranian, two of the longer-living breeds, it still scares me to think of her aging. I often wonder how many more years we have left with her. What life will be like without her when she’s gone?

I can’t imagine such a thing. We’ve had her full-time with us without sharing her back and forth for almost three years now. When our daughter takes her with her to visit her father for a week or two at a time, it’s truly difficult for us. I’m sure she has fun over there. But it feels as though our best little friend is missing. I hate it.

The thought of life after Libby crossing the rainbow bridge is difficult. I know for certain that those are going to be some of the most difficult days my Bride and I will ever have together. I truly can’t imagine her being able to go to work for a bit, or myself even writing during those first days once she’s gone.

I try to value each day with her that we still have. She wakes me up almost every day by licking my face, nose, forehead, and even my eyes. It would drive a normal person nuts, but I love it.

Perhaps not in the moment, but at least she’s kind enough to not do it early in the morning. She gets me up each day around the time I really should wake up and get going. I appreciate her for that. We go downstairs to get my coffee and for her, a dog treat. Then we come upstairs and start my writing for the day, while she sleeps against my leg.

I won’t know how to deal with that once I don’t have that with her anymore. I have no idea how my Bride will function without her little Libby. We’ve talked about having another PomChi because Libby has been so wonderful Mai tells her that she’s a “Dog of a Lifetime”.

I agree. I’ve had a number of dogs over the 47 years I’ve been on this planet. I really liked most of them. I’m sure I cared about them and loved them to some degree. But Libby is different.

Mooch truly is a dog of a lifetime, and we’ll do everything we can to keep her happy and comfortable for as long as we’re fortunate enough to have her with us. Being more gentle and patient with her is easy to do and our pleasure. It’s the least we can do for all of the wonderful memories we’ve had with her.

Have a wonderful night, y’all. It’s time for me to join Mooch and get some sleep. I hope you, your family, and your pets sleep well, too. &:^)