by Kona Lang

 

Looking out of my office window, I realize how fortunate I am to have an east view from the 15th floor of a building in Anchorage, Alaska. The picture window faces the Chugach Mountains and to the left I can see the Alaska Range. There is not one day where the view looks the same – colors shift with the seasons, lighting changes moment to moment, storms come through, – it is truly spectacular! I can see for miles and miles in many directions…. (And just in case you wish to speculate – no I cannot see Russia from my window!) It is the ultimate big picture!

Living with a senior dog is like that too; the big picture. A Golden Retriever named “Bob” (now Sailor) sailed into our lives on September 9, 2008, just about 7 years ago. We had been looking for another dog and I watched the local pound listings for months. Apparently he had been found wandering around the streets close to the shelter. We had 5 minutes with “Bob” to make a decision. We decided to take the chance and see if we made a good match. Some people believe their dogs choose them but in this case, I think it was more like two worlds intersecting and overlapping like a Venn diagram.

Sailor was a hit. He loved our other dog and our cat. He fit right in. He was a true gentleman – and has been ever since. A marvelous dog! Our vet guessed he was between 5-8 years old at the time we adopted him.

Sailor is currently somewhere between 12 and 15 years old. His eyes are cloudy, sometimes he doesn’t hear well, his liver is compromised, and he has arthritis. Our vet thinks he has some cognitive decline so sometimes he gets a little confused. But just like the view from my window, when I look at Sailor now, I see the bigger picture. I can see for miles and miles. I see a dog that was gentle and kind through the birth of 6 of our 7 grandchildren and continues to be a patient playmate to them all. I see a dog that treated his new sister with a generosity I didn’t know existed in animals, and then outlived her, grieving gracefully. I see a dog that welcomed and nurtured a new puppy last November. He reminds me of our thousands of walks, more than 5,000 lovely greetings (Sailor has a special greeting song whenever we return to our home), even more doggy cuddles and kisses, and millions of tail wig-wags. The two times he had accidents in our house are absolutely nothing and even if he has 100 more, that too is no more than the period at the end of this sentence. Living with a senior dog is like seeing a full-blown tapestry of life, relationships. and love. Because of our long history together there is this amazing amount of trust, knowledge, and understanding about each other that makes sharing life lovely.

Some say life is like a box of chocolates, but I think it is more like a bouquet of flowers. The bouquet is in constant change and some flowers wither away and more are added – and the bouquet is more than the sum of its parts. My bouquet includes dogs and I treasure my time with them. Living with a senior dog wisely brings us closer to our own mortality. I know that Sailor will not live much longer. However I hope to be strong enough to let him go in as peaceful a way as possible, knowing that without death, life would lose much of its precious quality. Thank you Sailor for adding so much meaning to my life!