Charly is an English Springer Spaniel. She excels at sleeping, snuggling, receiving belly rubs, and barking at squirrels (her arthritis now prevents her from chasing them). She scores an A+ for eating, and has mastered the art of conning us into believing she has not yet been fed breakfast. She looooooves people as much as food, especially kids.
Charly came into my life when she was 11 weeks, and today she is 13 years old. Her birthday cake will be the usual stack of mini pancakes with peanut butter in between and maybe her favourite type of grass on top. There will be a candle and singing which she won’t hear because she’s now completely deaf. Then, she will savour the treat – and yes, she chews her food. It’s a “treat” because she’s on special food to dissolve crystals in her bladder, so there have been no pancakes for her for a few months. My family and I did not think Charly would make it to 13…she has gotten very sick a few times over the last four to five years and I read that the life span for Springers is about 10 to 14 years. It’s twilight for her. She’s my first dog, and this twilight is new to me…bringing many moments of pain, frustration, heartache, and laughter that surprise me and are worth sharing.
Join us on September 22nd for “How I knew my dog was getting old”.
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