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.

:-(