[nagdu] Older Dogs -- Warning for Talk About Dogs' Life Span

[avapup.7 at gmail.com]

Hi, from Ava and Cocoa, in the land of the wind and snow.

Does anyone else start to get kind of nervous when their dogs reach a certain age, even if their pup is still working wonderfully?

I don't know why I'm feeling this way. Cocoa is only 8 years old, and turns 9 in the spring. She is never happier than when she gets to help me with guiding and/or balance ( except for when it's time for her to eat -- she is a Lab, after all, grins ). She sees her harness and becomes a very bouncy dog. She hasn't slowed down at all. But something just sort of keeps nagging at me. I think it's the fact that she's 8. My first guide retired at 6 for a minor medical issue, but I don't see Cocoa retiring any time soon.

But am I the only one like this? Sometimes I just worry and think about how she's a big dog ( 65 lbs ) and how big dogs don't usually live as long as small dogs, and I think about how devastated I'd be if I lost her. I even refer to her as my daughter, though I know she's a dog, and have never treated her like a furry person, and have respected her for being the great dog that she is.

Do you think that her being 8 is too young for me to get so nervous?

Thank you, and happy holidays, and a merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!

Ava and Cocoa

Sent from my iPhone