Goog

My dog has a million names: Jacqueline Margo, Jackie, Yack, Old Lady, Googoo, Goog, Idiot, etc. The name we use most for her is Googoo or goog.

I don't know her age. When I rescued her seven years ago, the veterinarian thought she was seven...making her fourteen now. Who knows. All I know is she was beat in the face from her previous owners. She hasn't slowed down much, she just sleeps a little longer after a long walk or short run. She still does her ridiculous "sprints" when Jesse gets home and when I get her going. I have noticed she can't run with me very much anymore...it could be that she's aging or that I'm training for a marathon.

Lately, Goog has been...off. When I look at her, her eyes are a bit lost. I walked her this morning, stopped at the pond to talk to her and when she looked at me, she looked right through me. She's so active and healthy, but she sometimes will walk into a corner of a room and not know what to do. Lately she'll forget to use her doggy door. Sometimes she stands outside in the snow or rain and bark to come in...as she stands next to her doggy door. She won't get up to greet me when I come in, but she still sleeps in my dirty running clothes as I shower in the bathroom- the bond we've always had.

My dear friend Sarah emailed me an article about dogs with dementia. Goog falls into 8 out of 10 signs. Yeah, I should take her to a doctor, but it's sad to see. As I type this, she sleeps under her favorite blanket next to me. When I go upstairs to bed, she will stay on the couch, come upstairs in an hour and sleep in her pillow box next to Jesse, sleep the night, wake when Jesse wakes, come back upstairs until I wake, then spend the rest of her day between the sofa and the deck outside.

I love my dog. She's my first born. I honestly expect her to live forever. She's Maximus' sibling. They play their weird games every evening. Seeing her behave differently is sad. At least she knows I love her.