When I met my husband I asked how old his dog was at the time. He said um, twelve, I think. We eventually got married and Penelope was 12 whenever someone asked her age. I said one day, Penelope has always been 12 - how old is she really? We asked one of his sons if he knew (the son that brought her home as a puppy). He thought about it for a while, counted on his fingers a bit and said “12”. Now this dog had been 12 for many years at this point. Well, Penelope got older and suffered from doggie dementia. It got to the point when we decided it was time to let her go. When we got the final paperwork:bill from the vet’s office they had her age down as 12. So, Penelope was always 12. I think seven is a wonderful age for a dog like Kip to be forever.
Our cats were estimated 2 and 9 when we got them from the shelter 6 years ago, and they still feel that age. I guess shelter animals who find their True Home get at least 5 years extra of life, because they're so happy and well loved. :D
Our yorkie, Banks, will be 17 in May!! He was pretty puny last November but seemed to rally when the kids were home for Christmas and has seemed a bit more robust. He definitely is not the same pups - won't play anymore and basically sleeps all day - BUT doesn't appear to be in any pain. Plus, he is still eating and drinking. I know that sounds like a low bar but we'll take it!
Our pug, Thursday, just turned 10! We got her as a rescue when she was 3 and she's been loving on us ever since. If we didn't have her exact date, no one would guess she as an old lady now. She still plays, goes on long walks, has all her teeth, and is in great health. Her only give away is her muzzle is completely grey. I hope she lives forever.
I know my dogs' approximate ages because they were puppies when we rescued them, and sometimes when they're being especially terrible, I find myself grimly contemplating how many more years of this we'll have to put up with, but usually I feel like their lives are moving way too fast. (I love them to pieces, but they are, um, challenging at times.) My cats are all the exact age that they were when I adopted them. So for example, Pip the kitten is still a kitten, even though he's around 12 now.
I know exactly how old my cats are since they’re both height of pandemic gutter goblins. I absolutely celebrate their birthdays. They got a tuna cake for their first one, but since then we settled on tuna juice shots instead (no sodium, in water, it’s fine). I make mine with something different just to keep them company :)
We had a birthday party when my Westie, Misty, turned 17 last October! It included a game of "pin the tail on Misty" which meant putting a blindfolded friend inside the small fenced-in dog park area, and then plopping Misty in random location inside as well, and then having the blindfolded friend try to tape a tail on her. She's so old that she doesn't run away or anything, just wanders around, but it's still surprisingly hard! Misty has a shocking number of bumps as well, I've stopped counting.
We have two cats, Louie and Mahlee. We know Louie's birthday because I adopted her from the humane society when she was three months old. Mahlee is a stray who adopted us, but she's clearly about the same age as Louie, so we celebrate their birthdays on the same day. September 25, 2020 is when they were born. Louie was adopted on January 2, 2021; Mahlee adopted us February 1, 2022. I think you should give Kip a birthday and have a big ol' party. Maybe spring or summer?
Our lab, Fang, is 8! We know his birthday from his former owner and his papers, but he was rehomed to us at age 2. He is the sweetest and the bestest. He is a little stiff at night and has a gray muzzle, but still loves going on a looooooong walk and swimming in the creek if at all possible.
Waffles is 13.5... we celebrate both her Gotcha Day in April and her birthday in August. Because she deserves two days of celebration. Last year for her birthday, I got her a little hat and bandana. She was not amused. We've only had her since she was 10.5, but she seems as healthy as ever. Which is to say, all she's ever really wanted to do is jump up on the couch and bed for snuggles.
I regularly inform her that she has to live forever and so far, so good!
My Sprocket will hopefully turn 13 this August, though we received a cancer diagnosis in December with an estimated life expectancy of 2-4 months. If she makes it to her birthday, I plan to have a Barkmitzvah for her. Expect an invitation. Also, and don’t do the math on this, it’s obvious Kip is somehow still between 5-10 years old. Likely closer to 5. So don’t worry about the lumps or the missed jumps. He’s still a puppy. Trust me.
When we adopted our dog they said he was around 5, then every few vet visits after that they seemed to estimate a little more, a little more, a little more. We're not sure how old he is, but we celebrate his "got'cha" day every February 2 and reminisce on how many years we've had him. Sometimes he gets a cake, sometimes not, but always lots of love.
I read Romantic Comedy! Did you like it? I thought it was a fun read, but nothing earth-shattering. And my dog IS, in fact, about 7. Staying that age would be good. xo
That's a great secular prayer. "May our pets get younger every day". Our dog died at 16 and change, and it wasn't long enough.
When I met my husband I asked how old his dog was at the time. He said um, twelve, I think. We eventually got married and Penelope was 12 whenever someone asked her age. I said one day, Penelope has always been 12 - how old is she really? We asked one of his sons if he knew (the son that brought her home as a puppy). He thought about it for a while, counted on his fingers a bit and said “12”. Now this dog had been 12 for many years at this point. Well, Penelope got older and suffered from doggie dementia. It got to the point when we decided it was time to let her go. When we got the final paperwork:bill from the vet’s office they had her age down as 12. So, Penelope was always 12. I think seven is a wonderful age for a dog like Kip to be forever.
Our cats were estimated 2 and 9 when we got them from the shelter 6 years ago, and they still feel that age. I guess shelter animals who find their True Home get at least 5 years extra of life, because they're so happy and well loved. :D
Our yorkie, Banks, will be 17 in May!! He was pretty puny last November but seemed to rally when the kids were home for Christmas and has seemed a bit more robust. He definitely is not the same pups - won't play anymore and basically sleeps all day - BUT doesn't appear to be in any pain. Plus, he is still eating and drinking. I know that sounds like a low bar but we'll take it!
Our pug, Thursday, just turned 10! We got her as a rescue when she was 3 and she's been loving on us ever since. If we didn't have her exact date, no one would guess she as an old lady now. She still plays, goes on long walks, has all her teeth, and is in great health. Her only give away is her muzzle is completely grey. I hope she lives forever.
I know my dogs' approximate ages because they were puppies when we rescued them, and sometimes when they're being especially terrible, I find myself grimly contemplating how many more years of this we'll have to put up with, but usually I feel like their lives are moving way too fast. (I love them to pieces, but they are, um, challenging at times.) My cats are all the exact age that they were when I adopted them. So for example, Pip the kitten is still a kitten, even though he's around 12 now.
I send my dog (at my parents) a birthday card and I’m always there for Christmas where I give her a present!
I know exactly how old my cats are since they’re both height of pandemic gutter goblins. I absolutely celebrate their birthdays. They got a tuna cake for their first one, but since then we settled on tuna juice shots instead (no sodium, in water, it’s fine). I make mine with something different just to keep them company :)
We had a birthday party when my Westie, Misty, turned 17 last October! It included a game of "pin the tail on Misty" which meant putting a blindfolded friend inside the small fenced-in dog park area, and then plopping Misty in random location inside as well, and then having the blindfolded friend try to tape a tail on her. She's so old that she doesn't run away or anything, just wanders around, but it's still surprisingly hard! Misty has a shocking number of bumps as well, I've stopped counting.
We have two cats, Louie and Mahlee. We know Louie's birthday because I adopted her from the humane society when she was three months old. Mahlee is a stray who adopted us, but she's clearly about the same age as Louie, so we celebrate their birthdays on the same day. September 25, 2020 is when they were born. Louie was adopted on January 2, 2021; Mahlee adopted us February 1, 2022. I think you should give Kip a birthday and have a big ol' party. Maybe spring or summer?
Our lab, Fang, is 8! We know his birthday from his former owner and his papers, but he was rehomed to us at age 2. He is the sweetest and the bestest. He is a little stiff at night and has a gray muzzle, but still loves going on a looooooong walk and swimming in the creek if at all possible.
My kitties are about to turn two in a month and I'm already sad about losing the years they have left. Your pup looks so precious!!
Waffles is 13.5... we celebrate both her Gotcha Day in April and her birthday in August. Because she deserves two days of celebration. Last year for her birthday, I got her a little hat and bandana. She was not amused. We've only had her since she was 10.5, but she seems as healthy as ever. Which is to say, all she's ever really wanted to do is jump up on the couch and bed for snuggles.
I regularly inform her that she has to live forever and so far, so good!
My Sprocket will hopefully turn 13 this August, though we received a cancer diagnosis in December with an estimated life expectancy of 2-4 months. If she makes it to her birthday, I plan to have a Barkmitzvah for her. Expect an invitation. Also, and don’t do the math on this, it’s obvious Kip is somehow still between 5-10 years old. Likely closer to 5. So don’t worry about the lumps or the missed jumps. He’s still a puppy. Trust me.
When we adopted our dog they said he was around 5, then every few vet visits after that they seemed to estimate a little more, a little more, a little more. We're not sure how old he is, but we celebrate his "got'cha" day every February 2 and reminisce on how many years we've had him. Sometimes he gets a cake, sometimes not, but always lots of love.
I read Romantic Comedy! Did you like it? I thought it was a fun read, but nothing earth-shattering. And my dog IS, in fact, about 7. Staying that age would be good. xo