Dogs and Time

I have witnessed the aging process of many dogs.  I personally had a Pitbull that was puppy for so many years that when asked how old she was, I would say, “five.”  However, I had her since she was about two, and at least five years had passed.  “Oh,” I corrected myself, “she’s seven or eight!”  I believe that is because most of us want to deny our dogs are seniors even before they hit their early teens.

From the age of twelve to thirteen, it was evident there is truth to the concept that dogs age approximately seven years to our one.  To me, it appeared she literally aged in a few months.  Sure, denial played a part, but so did the fact that our dogs are proud creatures.  They will rally and pull it together to please us at times when if they were human, they would be curled up in bed making certain we knew how bad they felt!

I have also learned that dog hours are very different than ours.  Moby will assure me at 3:00 that it is at least 6:00 or 7:00 in dog-time.  He comes to me asking for dinner, as I assure him, “it’s only 3:00 so you’ll have to wait, Bud.”  Just to keep things interesting, some days, I will put the food down early.  All it means to them is a full belly and nap time.  When the real 6:00 rolls around and they look at me like I’m forgetting something, I remind them they already ate dinner according to human time.

It’s ok to honor dog-time.  Some would encourage tough love – I say, “pick your battles.”  If feeding a dog at 3:00 (actually 6:00, their time), is the most you give in to your dog, you’re doing great!