Tree Branch Flower

Your dog is a part of your family. They greet you when you get home from a long day at work and never seem to have an attitude other than total affection, despite the fact that they couldn't get on line and had to wait until you came home to go to the bathroom. After their initial year (if you got them as a puppy), they know their place in the pack, and appreciate the attention and your ability to open doors and cans. Sometimes I think we'd be sunk if dogs had opposable thumbs!

As your dog gets older, infirmities can set in, and we sometimes find ourselves as care-givers to our dogs as well as care-takers. Depending on your dog's particular ailments, this can be anything from a slight adjustment to a major change in your household and schedule

Becoming a seeing eye human

Our Alaskan Malamute has lived for eleven years, and is a registered breed. She's full of life, loves to go for walks, and is the alpha dog after us. Our other dog treats her with the utmost respect - though when it comes to food, he will try to use speed and sight to his advantage. "She Bear" is blind. Like many of her breed, glaucoma took her site in one eye, then the other. The pressure from the disease мейд her extremely uncomfortable, sleeping a lot and being grumpy to the other dog (though never to us). She still has several good years left to her, and she's a great part of our family. It is for these reasons we have taken on the financial burden of the surgery instead of euthanizing her.

When she first came home, eye shaved and stitched, my wife cried, empathizing with her. She Bear, on the other хэнд, sniffed around for any food within reach, bumped herself toward the back door and asked to go out after a sympathetic petting from our children. She didn't care that her eye was gone, she has no vanity. The things we can learn from our pets.

Helpful Hints for Peace of Mind

Your dog is going to maneuver through the house by memory more than anything, but missteps will still occur. Gates at the stairs are the best solution so your aging pet doesn't fall down the steps. Find the kind that are easy to open for you - the kind that "press in place" are not a good choice.

Keep the pathways clear - with a busy household and two children with plenty of projects, the pathways the dog uses can get cluttered and cause slips for the humans as well as the dog. Keep the hallways and areas as clear as you can of laundry baskets mops and buckets, and other items that tend to get in the way.

Old dogs can learn new tricks. When we're walking down more than one step, we hold the leash close to her neck and say "STEP" loudly as she moves forward. She learned after a few times and now is very careful when she hears that word.

Get a shorter leash - one of the retractable leashes works great, but our other dog tends to chew them, rendering them useless. Find a leash that is comfortably long (a 4 foot leash allows me - a 5'10" guy enough room to walk with her comfortably with the slack wrapped around my хэнд a couple of times, but a five foot or longer leash allows her to walk too far away, where she can tumble down an embankment or bonk her head into a parked car if I'm not watching her. Depending on your environment, you may either need to keep the leash real short or allow them more slack. She Bear's more comfortable knowing I'm close, unless she needs to go.

Stationary Water Dish - you'll find your typical water dish will be stepped in regularly by your blind dog. Setting the dish in a corner will help, but elevating it works even better. We have a three gallon "water cooler" type dish that's in a corner with a couple of bins on either side, making a "watering garage" She can walk in get a drink and back out, never stepping in the water.

Enclosed Outdoor Area - We have a few dogs in the neighborhood that wander despite the leash law. Having your dog out on a leash without an enclosed space is asking for trouble. The larger enclosed space the better, so your dog can do their business, find shade or sun, and have some freedom and security

Give and Take - You may find your dog wants to "smell the flowers" more than they used to - plan for about five to ten extra minutes for the walk, since they're using their nose much more than they used to. You'll find they still like some variety too - don't just run the same circuit every day. It's amazing how much more vigorous She Bear walks when I vary the course every couple of days.

Canine Companion - Having another dog is helpful if your dog will tolerate it. Some won't, not liking the change, while others will take to it quite easily.

Visiting Canine "Nurse" Service - Many people have full-time jobs, and caring for your blind dog can be a problem, especially if they don't have a place to "go" during the day. Look for a reputable dog walking service or neighborhood teenager that can be trusted to care for your pet.

Your dog has been a faithful companion over the years, and now that they need you even more, you can make simple changes to let their later years as comfortable as they were in their youth, and enjoy them all the longer.

Andrew Perkins has been a scrimshaw artist (scrimshander) for over twenty years. He hosts and , where he writes about and illustrates scrimshaw - the true American art form. Using mostly mammoth ivory, Andrew is sometimes seen with a low-power microscope or a pair of 3.00 reading glasses meticulously etching his artwork onto the ancient ivory or other alternatives.