Nov 14, 2pm
As I’ve said several times recently, Chandler is aging noticably these days. He’s 15, so this is a natural thing, but it is still hard for me to watch. More so after losing Madigan so unexpectedly early this year.
The old boy was so lost after Madigan died, but he rallied — and his health seemed to rebound some — after the puppy arrived. Now, he’s clearly declining again.
Monday and Tuesday nights, and Wednesday morning, I had to carry him up the front steps after our walk because he seemed incapable or unwilling to try. When he tried jumping up on the bed, he couldn’t make it without assistance. Seeing that nearly broke my heart. I put an old bolster cushion on the floor for him to use as a step, but he’ hasn’t quite figured that out. I saw him do it once, but not since. Maybe he has a hard time seeing the brown bolster.
His vision and hearing are both getting worse. I’m not sure how much he sees other than light and dark, but I am pretty sure he can see that much. This morning, I was startled by the fact that when I walked up behind him and touched him on the head, he jumped because he hadn’t heard me.
So I was feeling pretty down about the state of the old boy’s health.
Imagine my surprise when he came toddling upstairs to investigate after I dropped a plastic container of Jelly Bellys in my office earlier this afternoon. I had gone home for the lunchtime walk and quietly went upstairs to get a couple things without raising the interest of the puppy when that darn plastic jar slipped from my grasp as I opened the lid. Jelly Bellys went everywhere. I was in the process of trying to gather them up when Chandler came in. His nose works just fine, and he managed to snarf down a few before I could get to them.
I left home and returned to work, relieved to know the old boy isn’t entirely deaf and could in fact hear well enough to hear me all the way upstairs and back in my office. I love these little moments of hope.
