On Thursday I will be the ripe old age of nine. Except for some more grey hairs on my back and tail I feel just fine and you would never know that I am now considered a dog in my senior years. Doc has arranged a small celebration with a few of my co-workers today and I am sure looking forward to that. I would never pass a up a good party. I sure hope some yummy dog treats are involved.
Getting older doesn’t bother dogs, we live our lives in the moment. Humans however, put great emphasis on aging. It is fascinating watching many of you try to “fight aging” with creams, dyes, injections, lifts, pills, implants and potions. The money you spend would buy enough dog treats and toys for myself and all my friends for the rest of our lives.
The other behavior I find curious is why some of you lie about your age. I will hand it to Doc, she doesn’t lie about that but I think it’s because she wants all the discounts that come once you get to a certain age. In the state of Ohio we have a thing called a Buckeye Card that you get when you turn 55. It gives you discounts at all sorts of places. She whips that thing out and shows it to the cashier like its a darn medal. Don’t tell her I told you but she’s a frugal sort of gal. But I digress. I guess the best advice I could pass on from a dogs perspective is don’t let age define you. Did you see the 82 year old ex NASA trainee Wally Funk go up into space on Tuesday? What if she would have declined the offer saying she was too old to do that. She would have missed the time of her life. I hope Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk call me to go on one of their next flights. I would be the oldest dog to go into outer space. Wouldn’t that be something!
So as long as I am blessed to be on this earth I am going to focus on each day, have as much fun as I can have, continue to work as a therapy dog, go on long walks everyday with Doc and play with my doggie friends next door. People say your life goes by quickly and I agree, so savor every moment and stop worrying about all the sags and bags that come with aging. Instead, wear your age with pride, you earned it.