We have had Zeke for a little over 12 years. He was fully grown when we decided to keep him, so he might be 13 years old, or even older now.
Zeke’s coat used to be completely brown over his right eye. It’s nearly all white now.
Zeke and Sam usually stay in our bedroom, lying on their bed next to the south-facing window. If I happen to open something like a package of crackers, or a bread wrapper, they know immediately and come trotting into the kitchen. Or at least they used to. Now it’s usually just Sam. If I go back to the bedroom to get Zeke and stand next to the bed to call him, his head jerks up and he looks around with a startled expression. When I call them to go out, Sam comes but Zeke often doesn’t. We have to call loudly and repeatedly.
Even when Zeke lies on the dog bed in the living room he seems to have a little trouble hearing me call him.
He still roughhouses with Sam on our walks. He makes his two-mile walk with no problem. You would never know that he’s an old dog from his behavior. Except that he’s getting hard of hearing.
Dogs, like most animals, tend to hide weaknesses. I wonder what other old age ailments he might be hiding.
*Apologies to Bonnie Rait
Don’t be starting the new year with a post about an old dog!
Paul — Hmmm, OK. Let me see if I can put a positive, forward-looking spin on this. A few days ago Zeke managed to slip out the kitchen door, with Leah right behind him. In the past, he would have gone right under the partly-open garage door like a baseball player sliding into home. This time he stopped at the garage door and looked back at Leah sheepishly. I can identify with him here; getting up and down is not as easy for me as it used to be. Anyway, it was the first time that had ever happened. So maybe we can look forward to a new year when we don’t have to worry about Zeke breaking out.
I love that Zeke can still walk his two miles. Getting old is definitely hard work. Zeke and I share that hearing loss thing. Roger and I joke about holding a funnel up to our ears.
Robin — We’re happy that Zeke seems to be in such good physical shape, especially for a dog of his age. We think Sam helps keep him young. But age has its ways, and it’s slowly taking its toll.
I have always tried to take care of my hearing. I used ear plugs when I rode a motorcycle, and I use hearing protection when I mow. I use earplugs plus earmuffs when I use my chainsaw. Nevertheless, when I took an online hearing test recently, I found that I have lost a fair amount of my sensitivity to higher frequencies. (Don’t tell Leah, but she’s having some hearing loss, too.)