I guess I haven’t mentioned Speck in a while because I’m receiving emails asking about him. He’s ok . . not great. He’s 12 years old and has had tummy/digestive issues for several years. They seem to be happening more often and I can tell that often he doesn’t feel good. I’m not sure why but he doesn’t want to come to the sewing room with me any more. He will sit with us if we’re sitting watching TV or knitting but as soon as I get up, he goes into his crate and that’s where he’s most comfortable. When I say “Do you want to go sew?”, he used to would run to the front door and wait for me. Now when I say that, he goes into the crate. I always ask him and it’s rare that he wants to come over with me. I thought he didn’t like walking on the rocks in the driveway so I now carry him but he still doesn’t want to come over. Last week one day, he did want to come with me and he stayed a couple of hours but then he wanted to go back to the house. I go back over there every few hours and take him for a walk, pet him for a while and ask him again if he wants to come sew but he never does.
Every now and then, he acts like a puppy — runs and jumps and seems full of energy.
On a positive note, if I leave him, whether it’s going to the grocery store or going to Louisiana for a week, he gets sick . . which means throwing up or worse. Vince tells me that he sits on the back of the sofa watching the driveway, waiting for me to return. The last time I went to mom’s (she does not like dogs in the house!), I had to bring him because I was afraid he wouldn’t make it with me gone for a few days. When I went to go to Chad’s, I couldn’t take him. He bites and he’s so jealous. He won’t even let Vince come close to me most of the time. I surely didn’t want to have to watch him constantly while I was holding the baby. So, Speck stayed home. Vince took off the morning I left to console Speck and Vince said that the entire time I was gone, he didn’t seem terribly upset.
We continue to enjoy him while we have him but we’re preparing ourselves for a day, probably sooner rather than later, when he’ll be gone.
Goodness, I’m bawling just thinking about it!
Thank you all for asking about him and thinking about him. He’s “just a dog” but he’s our baby!
Kate says
Hugs, Judy. We recently lost our 17 year kitty family member, i understand too well.
JanetB says
My Biscuit (pug) doesn’t like my sewing room either. She stays right with me in the house. I can carry her to the sewing room, but the minute hubby comes in, she’s at the door to leave. I bought some mats for the floor thinking it might be too much of an echo, but it hasn’t helped. I miss her when she’s not with me. They are just like our children.
Erin says
Thanks for keeping us updated. Speck is so precious to us, just following him all these years.. I too know how you feel.
Marla says
I have been wondering how he was too. Actually was thinking about him yesterday. My dog passed away over 2 years ago and I still miss her. They are your babies.
Lisa says
My baby has gone to college 1.5 hrs away. The oldest is still at home. My husband bought me a pompa-poo. She’s 8 months old and weighs 3.2 lbs. I didn’t think I could get attached so quickly to a dog, but I have. She is the most precious little thing. She sleeps with us every night!
LoriKC says
Judy,
They are never ‘just a dog’. They work their way into our hearts and break our hearts when they leave us.
Romonia says
You are right, he’s not just a dog!!!!! He’s a very special, quirky individual. I have been wondering about him. It’s so hard when they get older and you know that you won’t have them much longer. Enjoy the time you have, Hugs for speck.
Rosalie says
I have seen some advertisements for Thunder Shirt for dogs – to have them wear when bad weather or separation anxiety is a probelm. You might want to research it and see if it is worth a try if he gets so upset when you leave even to go to grocery store.
Beth says
Judy,
I’m so glad you updated us on Speck I was just wondering about him and was afraid to ask just in case if it wasn’t good. Everyone understands about our fur-babies, and if they don’t…who cares what they think!!
Sharon Spingler says
Poor Speck. But I know exactly how you feel about him being your baby. My 14 month old Shih Tzu was outside with our granddaughter and came in favoring his back leg. It felt like he had either dislocated it or broken it. Wrapped him in his blanket and rushed him to the vet. Found out he was only bitten by an ant. Scared the beejeebies out of me anyhow.
Sue in Scottsdale, AZ says
Judy, thanks for the update. I have been wondering about Speck but was afraid to ask. Our fur babies definitely work their way into our hearts and it is so hard to watch them age. I have been through what you are going through too many times and it never gets any easier. Hugs to you and Vince and enjoy every minute with Speck while you can.
Jan says
I’m sorry Judy, and feeling your pain. The schnauzers are 12 and 13 1/2′ and I can feel our time slipping away too. It’s tough, and I’m sorry. He’s a great dog.
Anna McD says
My 9 year old dachshund has tummy problems too. I started giving him a little plain canned pumpkin each day and he has improved. My vet recommended it and I was skeptical but both of my doxies love it.
Glen in Louisiana says
I too understand, they are never “just a dog “. I miss Dutch and Bonnie Doon so very much.
glen
Linda in NE says
Well of course he’s your baby. My cats are my babies too. The oldest is 13 this month and quite healthy. Fat & sassy. The other one is probably almost that old, but we don’t know for sure because he was a stray when he came to us. He goes through skinny spells, this summer he was pulling his fur out, but he’s starting to look better now. Seems to have gone at least partially deaf though. Yes, they are our babies and we worry about them when they act like they don’t feel well.
Marky says
I know what you’re going through, so my heart goes out to you. For the last year our 14 yr old black lab mix has had several health issues; he’s taken them in stride and bounced back when we thought “this is it”. We’ve been preparing ourselves for the day he would be gone since early this Spring. That day finally came 3 weeks ago, and I miss my boy terribly. We’ve had 4 dogs in the course of our 42 yrs of marriage and it never gets any easier to let them go.
katie says
maybe you could mix some cooked rice and mix it with his regular food. It helped my last sweet puppy, for the few years before he passed. Miss having my dogs but still have my 2 kitty’s
Donna says
My friend has a “thunder shirt” for her dog. SHe got it last week and said it worked immediately. I think she said it was about $30 and worth four times as much. Her dog is afraid of storms and has seperation anxiety. She said the shirt calmed him right down. He’s a minature Schnauser and a nervous little thing. My little 19 year old dog has been gone for a while and I still miss her like it was yesterday.
Mel Meister says
Yes, the time slips away all too soon. I’ve lost three beloved cats in the past three years, one of them this year, very suddenly. It was a shock. It still IS a shock. It’s been 7 months and I’m not really over it. Not sure I ever will be.
LadyBaltimore says
I’m sorry Speck is not feeling well. Poor baby. What a clutch of fear it is to think that our time with our beloved pets is growing short.
I miss my beautiful Bode (my male golden retriever baby) so gut-wrenchingly much.
Susan Torrens says
Our dachshund acted the same way when we were away. As she aged, she disliked us being away even overnight. Once I went with DH on a business trip for a week, and she was “at death’s door” the whole week, but when she heard my voice, she came bouncing down the stairs like nothing was wrong at all!
We miss her every day. Our lifestyle now doesn’t fit a furry family member, but I look after our friend’s dog when they have to be away overnight. Helps with the puppy withdrawal….
CindyM says
I sat here and cried about Speck. They are only animals, but they actually are part of our every day routine even more than other family members who have lives of their own. Our lives are our pets’ lives. We have two puppies, a Bassett mix who will be 14 years old next month, and a Siberian Husky, who we rescued in 2001 as a young adult, so she’s probably 13. She’s tripod thanks to cancer. But I see them slip away (althought they are amazingly healthy for their age). Sometimes I sit and cry just thinking of losing them. Okay, I’m crying right now again and I’m at the office, so this is the end of this post! But I do know how much you love him and how hard it is to see “our babies” grow old.
Jojo says
Judy, I had a wonderful little Yorkie named Max. He had digestive problems and we thought he was on his way out. Our Vet recommended that we give him yogurt with his food and it helped him tremendously! My friend tried it with her aging pup and it helped him too. I swear it’s a miracle cure of aging dogs. Max passed away but it added a couple years on his life. I kinda miss making yogurt….
Jo
Kathleen says
We lost our 16-yr old miniature poodle in April and I still miss her sooooo much. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. They aren’t ‘just a dog’ – they are family. I feel for you.
Dawn says
no such thing as “just a dog” they are family. Enjoy the time with him while you can. It is hard especially when you see health fail little by little as they age.
we all love Speck!
Karen says
Judy, I feel your pain. Jill is our 4th doggie family member – every time we lost one we’d say ‘that’s it we can’t do this again, no more pets.’ But, they are such a comfort & joy that after a few weeks we’d have another one.