Are You There, God? It's Me, Lilac's Person...

Dear God,

I'm pretty sure you have a sense of humor.  I suspect that over the last eight years, you've had some good belly laughs over some of the things we've been through with Lilac.  As a matter of fact, I have to wonder if you sent her here to us for your own amusement.

First, there's that penchant she has for thievery.  When she first came to us, it was mainly trash can raids that were harmless.  That night when she stole all the chili cook off taste cups out of the trash while all of hubby's family was in the basement was an extra special memory that we'll cherish, though.  Dogs and chili do not mix.  Oh, how you must have laughed first as we cleaned up hoping nobody would come upstairs to the mess and then as we tried to sleep through vapors that probably had our whole village glowing nuclear green from the heavens!

Of course, there's that sweet habit she has for showing her appreciation for a good meal, too.  She walks up to us with that sweet adoring expression before belching in our faces like a truck driver.  We fall for it every darned time, too!  I wonder how many times you've slapped your knee over that one.

We also have the secret thrill she gets from chewing up bits of paper, or even magazines, on the occasions when she's suffering a fit of pique, too.  My favorite was the time she chewed the little piece of paper that had those tiny extra elastic strings for my nook cover attached.  Did you laugh until you cried when I had to extract them since they didn't quite make it all the way through?  I have to say, I'm still not too amused by that one myself.  I thought at some point she'd grow out of that habit, but this happened just a month ago.

Then we have that habit she has of waking us up at 3:30 in the morning.  Has that joke not gotten old after two years?  I mean, I could laugh about it back when it was just half an hour before the alarm went off, but we have to get up and go to work.  Maybe it's the sleep deprivation that keeps me from seeing how funny that is.

Along with that, we have the random barking.  Didn't you get the memo we got from the adoption group about how Greyhounds don't bark?  I'm trying my best to keep her happy, but it's hard to tell the "fluff my bed appropriately" bark from the "I need to go outside NOW" bark and the "move the fan two centimeters to the left" bark.  They sound a lot alike and are often barked from the same position in the living room.  Does it amuse you to see me jumping through her hoops to make her happy?

I suppose I should mention those surprise murder scene sites that we become victim once in a while, too.  Why does she always have to break a nail when we're getting home late and tired or trying to leave the house in a hurry?  If this is a lesson in patience, consider it well learned.  Really, we don't need to repeat this lesson anymore.  I promise!

Anyway, I'm happy that we've been able to provide all these years of entertainment for you.  It's been worth it to share the sweet moments in life with her.  I'd forgive her anything when she gives me that devil may care look or presses her head to my chest or wraps around my neck and squeezes.  I freely admit that I've become a better person by sharing these years with her.  I have to be more patient and compassionate than I was when she came here.  I'm just asking for one thing.  You know she's getting pretty long in the tooth.  She's a wise elder in Greyhound years.  I'd like to wrap her in bubble wrap and protect her from everything in the world, but she's still a bossy and independent old lady.   Please, one of these days when the time comes, let her just go to sleep one night and not wake up.  I just don't have the heart to send her into the gentle sleep on my own.  I think that's a fair trade off for all the amusement we've given you over the years.

Love,
Lilac's Human Servant

We'd like to send our sincere condolences out to our friend Guinness' dad.  He lost his battle with stomach cancer over the weekend, and really made me think about how short our time of stewardship is with our beloved canine companions.  Our dogs would all be perfect if they'd just live forever, or at least as long as we do.

Second Puppyhood?

There's nothing like life with an elderly dog to really humble you.  If you're not familiar with our blog, Lilac is our senior Greyhound here and she's fifteen and a half years old.  I believe the average life expectancy for a Greyhound is from twelve to fourteen years old, so our old lady really is quite aged at this point. 

It's been an interesting week at our house.  To start with, Lilac has gone on strike.  When the weather gets cold it's tough on the older hounds.  We try not to leave them out longer than we have to and to make things as bearable for them as we can.  It seems that we've come to an impasse in this area.  Lilac is suffering from a lot of weakness in her back end.  She does okay when she's walking around, but standing in one place is tough for her and it doesn't take long to see her back half start to sag to the ground.  To get in our back door, you have to climb five steps.  These steps are difficult for the old lady to climb.  She would really prefer to avoid them.  This leads to a stand off at the back door every night.  I am more than happy to carry her up the back steps.  However, Lilac's pride can't accept this.  So, I reel her in gently with the leash and we have a little chat at the back door as I hold it open and try to cajole her to just walk in the door so I can help her.  Once I push her in the door, she gives me a dirty look and hauls herself onto the steps before I can maneuver to stop her. 

Tuesday night I arrived home to see that Mr. Taleteller was home early.  I thought maybe his excitement about going to class that night with Morgan had motivated him to leave a little early to get ready.  It turns out that it was not the case.  He'd stopped by home late in the afternoon on his lunch break and had to call the office to tell them he wouldn't be back in.  It turns out that one of our breakfast dishes in the sink had something irresistable on it.  Lilac decided to counter surf and broke one of her bad toenails in the process.  She has SLO so this happens on occasion at our house.  Mr. Taleteller bandaged her up to keep her from bleeding on anything else and set to work on cleaning up the kitchen.  He tells me that it looked like a scene from a horror movie with blood all over the sink, counter, kitchen floor, dog beds, living room carpet and probably still hidden in some nooks and crannies that we haven't discovered yet.  It was so much fun wrapping Blueberry and Lilac in matching IV bags over their wrapped up feet for turn out.  Fortunately, we only had to leave Lilac bandaged up for a few hours until the bleeding stopped.

Thursday night we had steak for dinner.  Lilac, Blueberry and Morgan all gathered around to gaze at me adoringly as I began to eat my dinner.  None of them is ready for an Academy Award yet because I didn't believe for a minute that any of them was more devoted to me than they were to the steak I was cutting.  This steak had a bone in it and as I sat trying to cut it on a tray, Lilac walked up and decided to take matters into her own, erm, mouth.  Right in front of me she reached up over the edge of the tray like a Great White Shark surfacing to attack its prey.  I pulled the plate away and scolded her.  She smirked at me and went for it again.  I feared there would be a wrestling match between the two of us over my steak, and I wasn't sure I'd be the victor.  In the end, I did eat my steak, and there was a bite for each of the dogs after it was over.

Lilac seems to be really feeling full of herself this week.  I'm not sure what has brought about her burst of fiestyness, but she's definitely sassier than she's been since Old Man Winter came knocking on our door.  I have to wonder if she's entering her second puppyhood as she fades into her twilight years.  Alright, I confess, a part of me wonders if she ever completely left puppyhood.  It's tough when she talks back to you like a teenager and then reminds you that she's old enough to be your great grandmother in dog years.

We're participating in this Saturday's Pet Blog Hop, hosting by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.  If you'd like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor.  Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

What To Get For The Greyhound Who Has Everything...

Well, I've been pondering what we're going to do to make Lilac's birthday a special event, and coming up with something is harder than I'd anticipated.

She's got a collection of stuffies that could fill a museum, and she has her favorites.  The truth is, though, that she doesn't really need any more, and Morgan is a little tough on the stuffed toys.  These days, the toys serve more as pillows for her head as she lounges in front of the fan, anyway.

We have more dog collars here than most people can imagine.  Greyhound people out there probably understand the obsession we have with collars, but most others most likely will not.  Honest to God, I own a shirt that says "Collar Addict" on it.  While I did recently come across one that would be perfect for our old lady, I'm not sure a new collar is really the thing.

Of course there will be a cake, and some fancy treats.  We'll either bake her a cake from our cookbook or pick one up at the dog bakery.  That's something that all of the dogs will enjoy.

Still, I'm a little stumped about what to do to make the day a little extra special just for Lady Lilac.  I know that we could let the day pass without doing anything and she would never know the difference, but I want to celebrate her life anyway.  What does one get for a fifteen-year-old Greyhound who has pretty much everything?

We're participating in the Pet Blog Hot again this weekend. If you'd like to join in, it's pretty simple. Add your link into the McLinky tool and copy and paste the code into your html editor. We're very thankful to Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confesssions of the Plume for hosting the blog hop every weekend!

Appreciating Antiques

I've been doing some reflecting lately.  In one month, on September 20, Lilac will be fifteen years old.  That is rather aged for a Greyhound and she's definitely showing her age, but she's still humming merrily along.

It's hard to believe that we thought she was a senior dog when we adopted her seven years ago at the tender age of eight years old.  We weren't particularly looking to adopt a senior dog, but we had her as a foster after she arrived on a dog haul after having recently weaned her last litter of puppies.  After months with not one single person offering to adopt her, we decided that she should stay here with us.  Actually, she'd decided that she should stay here with us from the moment she laid eyes on me at the adoption group president's house where she'd come off the hauler.  It just took me a while to figure out that she'd made her decision.

We weren't adverse to adopting a senior, but we lead an active lifestyle and we thought when we added to our pack again, it would be a younger dog so that we could give Treat and Hawk a break.  Obviously, it didn't work out that way.  Later, we did keep Blueberry here, but that's a story for another day.  Aside from her penchant for garbage and candy theft, Lilac was actually very unassuming, just coming up to us when she wanted some love and wrapping her head around our necks. 

I had no idea that Lilac would end up outliving Treat and Hawk when we decided to keep her here.  I thought we'd be blessed with her company for a few golden years and that we'd make her life comfortable and pleasant.  Little did I know that a sassy, independent and opinionated old lady lurked inside that dark brindle fur coat.  I'm so excited that we're going to be celebrating her fifteenth year next month.  We want to do something really special for her, but we haven't decided what that will be yet. 

In spite of the middle of the night wake up calls and some of the other negative things that accompany old age, we wouldn't trade a minute of our time with our Grande Dame.  I realize now that every day we have together is a gift and it's one we need to make the most of.  There is something infinitely sweet about life with an old dog.

It makes me think about all the senior dogs out there, waiting for homes, who are passed over because someone wants more time together, or they think these dogs aren't as attractive, or a host of other reasons.  The dog I thought I'd have for the longest, who was always ready to go on an adventure, passed away much too soon at only ten years old.  You never know how things will end up working out.  If Lilac leaves any kind of legacy from her life, I hope that it's letting people know that you can't discount the joys of adopting an older dog.  The rewards that you will reap far outweigh the costs.  We have been unbelievably lucky that Lilac decided we were hers all those years ago!

We're participating in the Pet Blog Hop again today.  We're very thankful to Life With Dogs, Confessions of the Plume and Two Little Cavaliers for hosting the hop.  If you'd like to join in, it's pretty simple.  Add your link to the McLinky tool, copy the code and paste it into your html code editor, and follow the three hosts.

Conversations With Lilac

Lately, I've begun to relate a lot to Morgan Freeman's character in Driving Miss Daisy.  Getting older isn't always fun, but a sense of humor certainly helps.  It helps in coping with the side effects of aging in those you love, as well.

I've mentioned earlier that often in the mornings, Lilac has a lot to say.  The other morning I got up and went to the kitchen to grab some water before heading to the bathroom to start getting ready.  While I was in the kitchen, I caught Lilac devouring Bunny's food while her food bowl sat mostly full.  I told her to eat her own food and picked Bunny's bowl up and put it on the counter.  Then I went in the bathroom and closed the door.  Sure enough, a few minutes later, Lilac had something to say.

Lilac:  Hey!  Hey you!

Me:  (opening the door, hoping for a Vincent Price sort of entrance and knowing it won't matter) Are you talking to me?

Lilac:  Yes I am!  I'm STARVING!  I need food!

Me:  You have food.  It's in your bowl in the kitchen.

Lilac:  No, Bunny ate all my food!

Me:  No, YOU ate Bunny's food!  Yours is in your bowl where it always is!

Lilac:  I need that other bowl!  That food tastes better!

Me:  It's the same food in all three bowls!

Lilac:  It still tastes better out of that bowl.

Me:  The bowls are identical!  There is no difference!  Now go and eat if you're hungry.

Lilac:  I'm not hungry anymore.  I think I'll just go start on my morning nap.

Lilac wanders back off at this point and I close the door again.  I finish brushing my teeth and turn on the shower.  Like clockwork, Lilac has more to say.

Me:  What is it now?

Lilac:  You forgot my morning scratch.

And so I dutifully scratch her in all her favorite places, behind the ears, along her back and across her chest, finishing with some rubs under her chin.  She gives a little sigh of satisfaction and wanders off to the living room to get comfortable on her orthopedic dog bed.  Of course I was running a few minutes behind by that point, but it seems a small price to pay to give the old lady her moments of happiness.  Sometimes it's a small blessing to be the only two early risers in the house and have our little rituals.

Wild and Crazy

Since Hawk's passing, there have been some changes here at home.  I think the dynamic of the pack always changes when one member leaves, it's just the way things are.  Nothing in life stays stagnant and life here hasn't either. 

One thing that has changed is that we've taken Hawk's crate down and moved it to the basement.  Hawk preferred to be in his crate while we were gone and the fact that he had a tendency towards hiking his leg on things he should not, just because he could, made us go along with it.  There were even a few occasions when my husband forgot to close the crate and would return home to find Hawk sleeping peacefully in there, content that all was right in his world.  I don't know why he preferred to be in there -- maybe it was just living with three girls.  Anyhow, he felt better, our furniture and carpet were safer and so everybody was happier.  I sort of suspect he liked it just because the girls couldn't have it.  In any event, we took it down last weekend and our living room seems quite a bit larger without it.

My husband has been laughing every morning about the fact that Bunny and Blueberry have a new racetrack over on that side of the room now.  Without the crate in the way, they can run laps around the two chairs that sit on that side of the room.  Their races always seem to happen when I am in the shower or have already left for work in the morning.  Truth be told, I was starting to be a little skeptical about the whole thing and wondering if maybe my husband was imagining things. 

Tonight, however, I saw proof for myself that they really do have quite a little circuit worked out.  Bunny and Blueberry ran around and around, turning this way and that then cornering and spinning.  All was going at a pretty funny pace and then Lilac got up.  Historically, in our house, Lilac's job has been to be the fun police.  I was quite surprised this evening to see her get up and actually start playing with the girls.  She hasn't done that in years, although she does play with toys on her own.  Tonight, she was in there, barking and jumping around with the other two like she was a pup! 

I admit, I was glad to see it.  We've always joked that she was a spry old lady and that she'll outlive us all.  It's good to see her still feeling her oats, even if it does make my heart stop a little when I see her jumping around with the younger two.  Maybe that's a part of her plan!

There's No Place Like Home!

Lilac is now home and resting comfortably. She'd like to send her thanks out to everyone who wished her well, and so would I. We still aren't certain what happened.

The bloodwork and tests that were done all indicate that Lilac is extremely healthy for a dog who will turn fourteen years old this weekend. Her potassium and phosphorous levels were a bit low, so we'll be rechecking those in a couple of weeks. She's on antibiotics for the next couple of weeks and we'll be watching her closely.

They believe that she could have had a vestibular episode, which would be the best option. Vestibular disease seems to hit older dogs suddenly and without warning, and the symptoms disappear just as quickly and mysteriously as when they arrived. That's not to say that it's what she experienced for sure, but it is one strong possibility, and it gives us hope that she may go on to celebrate many more birthdays with us.


We celebrated her return home with a can of Merrick's canned dog food, which she actually got up and went in to the kitchen to eat. I'd expected her to eat on her bed. It must have smelled good enough to go to the kitchen for, though. She didn't want any of the whippersnappers getting her share. She is now resting very comfortably while it digests in her stomach, now doubt even happier that there are soft dog beds here at home. I don't think the dog beds at the vet's office are quite up to her cushy standards.

My husband has been convinced for a long time that she will outlive us all. She may just prove him right!

Unexpected Curves

I am home sick at the moment with one of the worst cases of the flu I can remember having. There's nothing good about it. However, I am now thankful that I was home today.

As I was resting, I was contemplating what I want to write for the blog on Sunday. That is the day Lilac turns fourteen years old. She has never been sick, save the funky toenails that go with SLO, a day of her life. That is, until today. At two o'clock this afternoon, Lilac was napping. Suddenly, she began thrashing around on her bed. I thought she was having a stroke. I called my husband and the vet and started making preparations to get her out to the car.

She couldn't stand up and she kept thrashing around when I tried to move her. I took the other three hounds outside and got the car ready. I told myself that I could summon the superhuman strength that comes with a moment of extreme panic and need. I was wrong. Since she was on a dog bed, I decided that dragging her out on the bed would be the best and easiest course of action. Again, I was wrong. For a small, incapacitated dog, she was remarkably strong and she fought it with all she had. We got through the living room and the kitchen, then down the first back step and to the landing. I figured that I could drag her down the steps like she was on a sled if I held on to the ends of the bed tight enough. Wrong, one more time. She thrashed and fought and the next thing I knew, she'd fallen back into the hall closet. I couldn't get her out. I had to wait for my husband to get home and as he called me, I could barely breathe enough to tell him what had happened.

Since he was getting close to home, I went to bring the other hounds back in. Hawk ran off and jumped into the back seat of the car, hoping to go for a ride. Any other time, he stands at the bottom of the steps and looks helpless, hoping you'll help him get up. Blueberry and Bunny both went up, and both paused to look at Lilac, no doubt wondering what she was doing in there. I got Hawk out of the car and led him into the house. You guessed it, he wouldn't go up those steps. So, I helped him up the steps and then sat down on the step with Lilac to wait for my husband to get home.

As I sat there, Bunny walked out, quietly sniffing me to see if I was alright. She walked around and tried to see Lilac, but I think she sensed she shouldn't bother her too much. One little I'm here if you need me sniff and she turned to lay down on the bed beside me to help me keep vigil. My husband arrived and told her to go in the house, which she did. No doubt wondering why he was being so rude while she was trying to help.

We managed to roll her into a blanket and get her into the back of the van. I rode with her in the back while my husband drove the van faster than I knew it was capable of travelling. I really thought we were going to be saying good bye to the old lady.

After a check by the vet, they believe that she had a seizure and not a stroke. A seizure in a dog who's almost fourteen years old isn't a good thing, but it is better than a stroke. Our sweet old lady is spending the night at the vet's office tonight and we'll be learning more tomorrow when her bloodwork comes in. She was alert the entire time, her vitals are all pretty strong and there has been no unusual activity. These are all good signs.

Now, I'm going back to rest. I may be the one who doesn't make it to celebrate her birthday on Sunday. We have plans to attend our annual greyhound reunion on Saturday, but those plans may have to be put on hold. I hope not, but we'll see what tomorrow brings. I am much relieved that the news wasn't as bad as I feared it would be, but still concerned about our little old mama dog.

Age and Wisdom Meets Youth and Beauty

A year ago when Bunny came to join our family, I was a bit surprised by her reaction to Lilac. Lilac is the oldest hound here in our house, and she was a brood mama to two litters of puppies. Usually, when she meets young dogs, she gives them a bit of discipline (one deep, serious bark, and I have no idea what she says in that one bark, but the youngsters always take it seriously) and then goes on her way, ignoring the young dog. She tends to avoid puppies and young dogs, perhaps because she feels she is done with that sort of nonsense now.


Of course, as soon as Bunny came here, she made herself completely at home. She made her introductions to Lilac and Hawk and after a tour of her new castle, the little princess needed a place to lay down. She looked around at the various dog beds scattered across the floor and decided to lay right next to Lilac on the big orthopedic dog bed. My husband was shocked. I was shocked. Lilac was stunned. Another dog was laying down next to her?! She didn't growl or curl up a lip, but she did make a departure from that particular bed after a period of polite tolerance.

Lilac has never gotten after Bunny, save for an unfortunate incident where Bunny didn't see her foot and stepped on it in passing. She hasn't encouraged Bunny to be close to her either, though. Hawk took her under his wing for a little bit, playing with her before he just got too worn out to keep up with her and letting her follow him about. Blueberry ignored her completely, although I suspect that she was playing with her in secret, just not when we could see her sink to such a low. However, it was Lilac that Bunny really wanted an in with.

She tried joining in when Lilac would pounce on a toy. This always resulted in Lilac dropping the game and going to lay down. Bunny would try pouncing on it again to try to get her interested, but it was always a no go.

Bunny continued to try to lay down next to Lilac on the dog bed. Lilac obviously did not know what to make of it. I suspect their conversations were brief.

Bunny: Oh, you're laying on this big, cushy bed again!

Lilac: Yes, yes I am! It's good for my old bones.

Bunny: I'm really small! I'll just curl up over here on this side.

Lilac: You know, there's another bed that nobody's using over there...

Bunny: Yes, and there's nobody there to snuggle with!

Lilac: Exactly! And this bed was made for stretching out... Hey, what are you doing?

Bunny: I'm getting comfy!

Lilac: (sigh) I'll just go stretch out over there then.

Bunny: Two hounds can fit on this bed!

Lilac: Nevertheless...

One thing that Lilac has always done since we brought her here is pick up a toy (usually a Mother Bunny bunny or tribble), shake it and then try to carry it outside. Over the years we've had many arguments about whether or not she needs to bring her bunny outside. Heaven forbid that we interrupt this ritual, however! Everyone in our house knows that Lilac has to at least bring it to the back door. Bunny saw this as a divine opportunity.

So, one day as Lilac grabbed her bunny and started to get ready to go outside, Bunny ran over and grabbed the other side, starting a game of tug of war. Lilac was so stunned that she lost her rabbit! Bunny pranced around the room victoriously. She had won. It wasn't the stuffed bunny that she wanted, though, it was Lilac's attention. Since that day, Bunny often tries to get Lilac to play before we go outside. However, for Lilac, it isn't playing. She growls ferociously at Bunny, who dances around her with the other side of the rabbit in her mouth. It's no contest, really. She can always take the bunny from Lilac, but I discouraged her. It seems a bit too much to ask of the old lady dog to let the puppy win.

Surprisingly, Bunny seems to have realized it on her own as well. Recently, I've noticed that she doesn't try to take the bunny from Lilac, but instead wages a brief race to pick the bunny up. I'm pretty sure she lets Lilac win. And, in return, Lilac seems to have decided to tolerate having Bunny close to her. It seems like a fair compromise.