It’s started. No, it had started some time ago but now it’s more. It’s difficult to get up. Getting up requires help. It was inevitable but just as I thought that, maybe, I had got it wrong and there was a long time to go, it hits and makes me sad.
As I say, it was inevitable. Still……..
Of course, it doesn’t help that the floor gives no grip. F realises this. He jokes that Dino can come to his place and I can stay with Rufus at mine. Later he says that he might get a large piece of the stuff they put under carpets here to stop them slipping – a sort of mesh thing. I think he will. Before that he had said that we would have to spend much more time at my place.
I picked the place because of the dogs but didn’t realise that the floors would be quite so good. They have a roughness that allows grip – not shiny wooden or marble floors which offer none.
So I help him to his feet. He will get used to this. I will do it for as long as it needs to be done, the only worrying thing for me will be that he may be in actual pain. I hope not but, of course, he cannot actually say. I can’t remember how long after the falling down bit it was before Ben died.
He’s OK when moving – stumbling a bit from time to time now but OK. Ben was much worse. F suggested that we have to keep them apart a bit now. “Why?”, I asked. “Because he will miss him when he’s gone”, he said. And, so, he wants him to get used to it now.
I don’t know how long it will be. Maybe months; maybe many, many months. It only happened the one night. The next day he got much better and now seems OK. But it will happen again. I’ve seen it before.
It’s still sad, even if you know it’s coming.
Hi Andy
Oh my, sad indeed. Sigh………………..
Love you
Gail
peace and hope
Hi Gail,
I know but today he seems almost fine
We take each day as it comes
I know how you feel.
My warmest hugs to you and the “babies”
Thanks, Lola.
It’s greatly appreciated
Hi Andrew, I’m really sorry for Rufus. Since I went through this, I know that it can last many months. And you’ll understand when the pain will be present and when it will be too much.
I beg your pardon for the following: do not split aboslutely the two dogs. Dino will miss Rufus, but for Rufus is important to see Dino around. And for Dino is important to look at Rufus.
The day when Argo died, I took my two cats to say him “goodbye”. It may seem stupid, however even Macchia was not scared (and normally he ran away). Like he understood, as Galileo, that Argo was at the end of his life. And I saw them for the next two weeks looking around in the garden, and in his doghouse, searching for Argo.
I’m close to you, and I hope that you can have many months with Rufus.
Hi Pietro,
Thanks for the long comment. I knew you would understand and, no, I shan’t split them up. I didn’t do it before and Rufus, although he looked for Ben, was OK when Ben died.
I’m sure they understand. They sense when it’s a puppy and also when a dog is very old. There’s some sort of understanding, I’m sure.
I hope too, that there are many months in Rufus. I will enjoy the time we have left, however long that is. He has been a good dog and a wonderful companion.
It’s sad but it’s all part of having a dog in the first place, so you have to do what you have to do. That’s life!