My Human Guest Blogs

Well, folks, Storm is still going strong at 13 and it is truly a wonder and a gift to me.

When she was diagnosed with spondylosis at age six, and started showing visible signs of slowing down at around eight, I thought, this beautiful soul is not likely going to live to be a very old German shepherd.

Yet, here she remains - doing remarkably well for such an old GSD.

Storm is slow, to be sure. Our walks are now more 'meanders'. EVERYTHING, and I mean, EVERYTHING, must be sniffed. Grass must be tasted. Puddles rolled in. Smells checked out, and every possible edible object put into her mouth. And, frankly, I let her. Why the hell not.

Her eyes, though now with the slight telltale clouding of old age, are bright and alert.

We won't dwell on the fact that she walked right past a cat the other day. Once her prey of choice. I kind of laughed at her. She looked at me quizzically.

Storm loves her food still, lives for each meal.

She does physio once every three weeks and I am utterly convinced that has given us the time we've had. The difference has been astounding.

She no longer howls at sirens; they alarm her now.

Thunderstorms, once ignored, now cause full body tremors.

So I comfort her.

And tell her she is safe.

And I am there.

I will always be there for her. I will do whatever is necessary to make sure whatever time we have together is the best possible - for her.

And, as of now, it looks like we are on deck for another Christmas together - something I really did not expect I would be so lucky to have last Christmas, as I took in every single moment of that one with her.

I am a lucky, lucky, LUCKY human.

Eve of Thirteen

Holy crap, I made it to 13!

Heat waves blow

Bad enough when I was young, with a thick black fur coat, trying to endure a humidex of 45 degrees.

Now that I'm old it's a hundred times worse. However, I am deploying a lifetime of heatwave lessons learned.

• Rolling in mud is a great way to stay cool. If your dog walker does not wipe you down, the human will hose you down with cold water when she gets home.
• If you do roll in  mud to cool off, make sure to lay on the sofa when you get home. Humans love it when you do that.
• Heatwaves make life pretty boring. There is a lot of time to fill hanging around the house in the air conditioning. I find that gnawing on rolls of toilet paper, licking my butt and licking my belly are all good ways to pass the time.
• If you look sad and pitiful enough, your human will be more likely to pack you into the car and take you to the lake for an evening swim.
• The basement is the coolest place to be - and if you are lucky enough to have a bathroom down there, that toilet has the best, coldest water. Yummmmy.

Just a few tips.

Time for my nap.

From the archives....god, my ears were MASSIVE

I'm just a girl

Hanging with her buds Tre and Justice on a nice Thursday evening.

Yes, my name is Storm

But now that I'm an old broad, I do NOT like storms.

They scare me.

I shake.

I watch the sky when I think they are coming in.

:-(

I'm sorry, WHAT did you say?

We're on our way to the GROOMER?
You suck, human.

Party crasher

The human and I had our annual May 'sit in our favourite field at Bronte' day on Saturday. Every year, we stop in this field, away from all the other people at the park, lay down in the fresh spring grass and chill out. I fell asleep this year.

I was surprised by our sudden departure but kind of figured it out when I smelled our unwelcome guest.

It has been decided

I ride in the back of the Jeep. Easier to get in and out. Spacious. Comfy blankies.

I'm still not too sure about this arrangement but...I will roll with it.

She bought me something...

The human came home Tuesday night all excited about something. Not knowing what it could be, but picking up on her energy, I went along with the excitement. She fed me, then took me out. Our usual routine.

Until I peed.

Usually we keep walking.

This time, though, as soon as I peed she started saying 'ok, boo, come see your new car!!' and getting all excited again.

All this was meaningless to me, of course.

She led me to our driveway and to an open door, then said 'ok, up up, boo!'

I sniffed the thing I was supposed to jump into.

Didn't smell like us.

Didn't smell like me.

Didn't smell like anything familiar at all.

So, screw her.

No way I was going 'up up!'

I pulled back between her legs.

She tried to coax me forward.

I deployed the four-paw plant technique. Quite effective.

Until she deployed the 'treats on the seat' technique.

I sniffed. And caved.

Gingerly and with some hesitation still, I slowly climbed into the passenger seat of this new vehicle.

Sniffed everything around me. Got a bit of mud on the brand new seat, you know, to mark it.

She got in the other side, and off we went. I kept sniffing, she kept yapping. 'this is your new Jeep, Boo! You're going to love this, Boo!' blah blah blah.

Actually, once I checked it out, I did like it. She tells me we can take the top off it when it's warm.

This could be a very good way to spend my 13th summer after all.

Cursing the fence

Buds

Flurry and I hang out almost every weekday, strolling, sniffing and peeing on things together. Quality girl time, you know?

Cow stalker

A girl and her treaty ball

Snowy Night Dog

I may be old, but...

I can still put on a real show when I want to be a bitch.

I bet the little 'dog' and its owner, who, despite my incredible and unrelenting show of force took their sweet time walking away from us, will not forget me anytime soon.

she's on her way home to me

 

Spent the weekend with Aunt Diane because the human went to Ottawa to eat too much, drink a little, laugh too much and then come home and complain about feeling fat.

 

We had a good time here in Burlington without her - hikes, good food and snuggles. Maybe not laughs, because I don't laugh. But still, we had fun. I barked at a few people on our walks. I think my sight is changing again. These big, dark blobs keep coming at me on the sidewalk. Sometimes I see them across the street, too. I don't know what the hell they are, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let them get us.

It's a frozen paws kind of morning

-29 this morning.

Plus there was snow last night, so there is salt out there.

My paws kept freezing. It's not so bad when only one does it, but when it's three or four at the same time, walking is...awkward...to say the least.

Yesterday I pooped on a hill.

So it all rolled down.

Therefore, the human had to reach the poo and pick it up while still managing to hold onto my leash.

I believe she likes the challenge.

Definitely getting older

It's noticeable now.

Aside from my distinguished grey muzzle...!

Christmas was super stressful. It's too much for me now, being away from my own den and routine, all the noise and people. Even though I love the people, it is just too much. I spent most of the time hiding on Piper's dog bed in the corner (except when there was food or turkey around). I panted. I acted and felt like I was a thousand years old. The human had planned for us to stay overnight after Christmas dinner, but she decided, thank god, to get me home instead. We piled into the car at 8:45, tired and full, and headed home. The next day, I was myself again.

We had our first big snowfall, and went to Bronte. But this year, it was so hard for me to plow through the fields of snow. So most of the time, the human broke trail and I followed behind her. I still like biting and eating the snow, and I LOVE sniffing all the tracks I find in it. But trudging through it is not my thing anymore. Nor is going up snow banks, even low ones. My back end doesn't do very well.

I sleep more now. And my skin, jeez, it's a pain in the ass. Spots and dryness all the time. This never happened to me before.

I fall down the carpeted stairs once in awhile, and sitting on hardwood floors is, well, comical. Doesn't always work out for me.

I have outlived three of my boyfriends now. My Ottawa man, Vimy, is now waiting for me with Riley and Mazzy. So sad.

My mind is still sharp as a tack though - very little slips by me.

Except for a coyote last week. Oh, and a huge buck. But that was my eyes, not my head.

For 12  1/2, I think I am doing pretty well.

The human keeps asking me to live as long as she does.

We shall see about that. Not sure I can accommodate her. But I will try.