You're only as old as you feel.....

.....and right now Charley (nearly 11), Sadie (8 or 9 ) and Belle (12) think they are puppies! It’s a beautiful evening; the air is crisp, the sky is blue brushed with white and steel grey clouds, the sun sinking on the horizon is once again flooding the hills with light, bringing the bare dark trees into stark relief against the sky. The fresh snow in the surrounding hills reflects back the sunset in hues of pinks and blues.

And so the dogs and I went for our third walk of the day, up to the rise at the back of the pasture. And there, all three of my supposedly-senior dogs were playing and rolling and barking and jumping and chasing and carrying on like two year olds. This was not the first time today – they had gone through the same antics when I had taken them out after work, and on the first walk this morning, too.

And just before dinner, Ellen came over (with the piggies’ weekly supply of greens – thank you, Ellen!) with her dogs Kinley and Toby. While we drank coffee in my kitchen (Ellen and I, not the dogs), Kinley grabbed a stuffed Eeyore that I had bought for Caleb some months ago. None of my dogs play with toys …..or they didn’t until they unleashed their inner pups.

Next thing we know, Sadie and Kinley are having a great game of tug with Eeyore and chasing each other around the house, swapping the toy back and forth and joyfully wrestling with each other! They didn’t stay still long enough to get much of a picture (and my house is very tiny which makes it even more difficult with five furry critters chasing around), but it sure made my heart sing to watch them!

The actual age at which a dog might be considered a senior depends on a number of factors. The rough gauge of “ one dog year equals 7 human years” works to a certain degree, but actual life expectancy varies considerably by breed and size (as well, of course, as breeding, nutrition, environment and so on). Very large breeds live on average only 7 -8 years, breeds like German shepherds about 10-12 years, small breeds often 13-16.

Sadie is a fairly large dog (and not just because she is overweight) so is likely a senior at 8 or 9, Charley and Belle certainly are seniors even though Belle is small.

But I guess no one has told my three girls that they are “old”. I only hope I can act as young as they do when I am the equivalent in dog years.

Ooooops, too late for that – I’m already over 8 in dog years. I think I’ll go play tug with Sadie and Eeyore.