Sleeping like a log… I mean, dog

It seems I only talk about the kittens lately, but of course the house is crawling with the adult cats, the parrots, and the dogs as well.  It’s one big party all the time, and it usually involves a bit of hissing.  Eli the German shepherd turns 10 years old today, and she’s a wonderful sport about sharing her space with cats and kittens (it’s the cats and kittens who have the attitude problems). Tonight Eli had a rare opportunity to reclaim “her” sofa for a nap, and she made the most of it.  When I took this photo she was sound asleep, snoring slightly, with her head wedged into the arm of the couch.  Yes, that’s a catnip mat hanging over the arm—Eli’s not fussy about such things:

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Here’s a photo of just how far she’s come in life… she didn’t always have those grey whiskers:

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When I get up in the morning, I’ll be giving her a bath with a good brushing and an ear cleaning—we do this in the backyard with the hose.  She’s never thrilled about the ear cleaning part, but has always loved to bark at the hose (I’m sure it thrills the neighbours as well).  On Monday she goes to the vet for her “geriatric wellness” exam, which consists of blood work, urinalysis, and chest and abdominal x-rays.  It also now includes a heartworm test, which seems a bit silly at her age (especially with our complete lack of mosquitos), but whatever… she can have anything that’s recommended.  I also want to see about putting her on Rimadyl for a while, as this past winter she seemed to slow down considerably and is more frequently stiff and “limpy” if she plays or runs hard in the yard.  She’s been taking Cosequin for a couple of years, and also eats food with glucosamine/chondroitin, but it hasn’t stopped the onset of what seems to be some light arthritis.  I don’t want her to be in any discomfort, and she certainly enjoys life, so I hope Rimadyl will make her a bit more comfortable.  I really love the old girl, and hope she’ll be one of those timeless German shepherds who’s still running and playing on their 15th birthday :)

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 02/11 at 11:20 PM

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  1. Look at those ears!

    Happy Birthday, pooch!

    Posted by Nio  on  02/12  at  09:34 AM

  2. Happy Birthday Eli!!
    Love those big puppy ears :-)

    Posted by Simply Coll  on  02/12  at  03:02 PM

  3. I’m such a sucker for the shepherds. What a wonderful girl. Can’t wait until our 3+1/2 month old Molly matures into someone a bit less into nipping and more into cuddling.

    Posted by Diana  on  02/13  at  08:58 AM

  4. Nice sleeping pick. Our dogblog this week features 3 sleeping pics an an audio of our cocker-mix snoring!

    By the way, my wife trained our dog, via treats of course, to not mind ear cleaning at all. My wife probably does it three or four times a week. He’s had great ear health since!

    Eli looks sweet.

    Posted by Abba  on  02/16  at  09:23 PM
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