Walkies

Well I heard that description somewhere once upon a time.
My memory isn't as good as it used to be.

I do recall though the time I peed on a lady's shoes under the table. The shoes were so inviting. I was just a little puppy and well, I didn't know it would make her mad. Hopping mad too. I was told not to come back to her house. The older guy laughed and laughed until the Lenise lady gave him a stern look.

Anyway. She decided to go look at fall colors at Jersey Valley. I saw her getting ready and started to be a bit of a nag. I stood by the door and looked at her anxiously. I don't jump around much anymore.
Jumping around is not as fun as it used to be.

However, I knew it was a 'GO' when she got the blue lead line out.
Thank goodness she brings that now. I am pretty sure she wouldn't know her way around if I wasn't on the other end of the lead line.
Seems she needs this blue line more and more. Well, it is good to know that she needs me around still.

Even if She says I see monsters where there are no monsters. However, I know that that flower pot was really a huge threatening raccoon moments before it turned into a flower pot again. Those wild animals certainly are getting creative.

We settled into the Subaru and headed out. I navigated for a while then went to sleep. I was hoping she could find her way to the park. There are some nice trails there that She can follow pretty easily and doesn't seem to need my help.
I guess She has some concerns when she lets me loose. I head back towards the way we came.

She clips the blue line to her belt ...and off we go.

We have seemed to work out a way of walking that works with this method.

I'm glad because I sure would hate to have Her wander off where I couldn't find her.

Then where would we be? I know I'd spend the night lost with her in the woods and it wouldn't be so bad really. But I don't think She brought any of that really nifty dog food I like.

She was kneeling on the side of the trail while I sniffed up a tree. I'm sure a gorilla had just climbed this tree and was waiting to pounce on us. Perhaps it was a really huge Giraffe.

Anyway I kind of woofed a bit and then tried to climb it.

She called me a name, I think. She said "Come here Old Man," in a quiet voice. I looked around and didn't see Rich anywhere. I knew she must have been seeing things.

A really big dog came along the trail dragging a man. I gave that big dog a wink and a nod. "Train your human right off the bat! I wish I could drag mine around!"

Big Dog and Dragging Man stumbled down the snowmobile trail and off they went crashing.

She took more photos as I sat and watched.

I am pretty sure if I hadn't been along, She would have missed some of these glorious colors and photos.
After all, we've been partners for a very long time.

We went to the top of the dam and looked around. I got pretty bored. There were no people or monsters around.
In fact I was pretty tired.

Thank goodness She noticed and started to pack things up. Besides, I knew it was going to rain again.

We paused on the way back to take in the trail and the colors once more.
I do want to come back. It is nice taking her on this new trail.

Besides, I want to see if Big Dog and Dragging Man ever made it out safely.

I hope we get more 'Walkies' in before the temperature gets cold. I don't think I like cold stuff any more. I think She is okay with that. 
I talked to Dixie the other day to see if she'd pick up the slack.

After all, I really don't want Her to go out on her own. She needs a good dog to keep an eye on Her. 

Mr. Morris and CDS

Oh ... wait.
What is CDS?
Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.

For real? Veterinarians came up with this long convoluted bunch of words for Doggy Dementia? Or Doggy Old Timers Disease.

Whatever you want to call it, Mr. Morris has it. Do you all remember when I said he was acting a bit funny earlier this summer? He got upset when plants were moved or when we parked the Subaru in the 'wrong' place.

A while ago he started this strange new behavior. Pacing. He will walk endless circles in the house from room to room. At first I thought he was unable to figure out where I was so I would call and let him know.

Remember when he started 'refusing' to go on walks or hikes? It is worse but it really isn't a refusal. He and I start up the driveway together as we have done thousands of times in our past years together.
Morris stops and stares at some leaves or...the woods, or the grass. He stands and then turns around and walks towards home.
If I let him go, he returns to the porch and walks back and forth on the porch in seemingly mindless circles.

His lucid moments are full of sweet tail wags and he loves being held.

My good friend Amanda worked for years for a veterinarian and mentioned that this behavior was a thing older dogs sometimes did. She mentioned that it is like Doggy Alzheimer's or Dog Dementia.

Well Morris is being a good sport about it. Our group went hiking with him in the creek bottom yesterday and any time we let Morris go, unattended, he simply turned and started to walk towards home.
He didn't respond to his name or a whistle. He just slowly put one foot in front of the other and headed towards home. Period. That was that.

However, he does know his way home. He will always retrace his steps and walk the path he has taken over and over on countless hikes for the past 13 years. Same path, same way. Always home.

He dutifully wears his bell and my hiking/photography friends accommodate Morris.
Their dog Scout checks on Morris and I suppose he may wonder briefly why Morris is not chasing him around like he did last year.

My good friend and sidekick Morris is slowly fading away.

But I am pretty lucky. I get to dote on him and be at his side. He is not in pain right now and is eating well. It is hard enough to watch a loved one go through this when they are human, but for some odd reason, it seems to hurt much more when it is a pet.

I am lucky to have this time to spend with Morris. We've been best pals for years and my only regret is that he won't see me into my last years of life.
However he has added so much to our lives just by being his funny little self.

So we approach each day with a smile and a lap warming session.