It is a longstanding relationship I have with this dog.
He arrived at the age of 1 and a half when Rohan was the same age. Mr brother-in-laws father was a Labrador Retriever breeder and he was loaned to us, to return only to serve bitches at the right time.
He is my dog, Duke barks at everyone else (needless to say it makes him unpopular with the male folk in my life) but he does it just to let me know they are here.
He has survived a dingo attack and has been known to venture to the neighbours for a chat. He is rising 10 and suffering from all of the ailments of old age and the heat (note shaved neck line). Things are a bit brighter for him at the moment, new dog food has eased the arthritis and treatments twice a day for the hot spots and infected ears has cleared it all up. Part of my retirement fund now lies with the Vet but I wouldn't have it any other way.
We all went hiking this week, down the fire break to the creek which feeds into the dam.
The pictures tell the rest of the story....
IT'S A DOGS LIFE
Aahh, that's cooler!
Needless to say a bath was in order when we returned.
Did I say things were brighter, whilst I was away overnight he went roaming and can barely walk....sigh! He is lucky to be alive with having just 1080 baited, maybe this dog is really a cat with 9 lives.
There's something so special about an old dog, guess Tom T. Hall knew that too. My rottweiler Ella is seven and already showing the signs of ageing, big dogs not enjoying the longevity of their smaller friends, and I already feel sad. Unfortunate that the difference in life-spans means that you bury a lot of faithful companions throughout your life. Duke looks like a champion.
ReplyDelete