What old dogs can teach us

Our years together have flown by and, imperceptibly during that time, my dear canine friend has turned from an athletic dog who ran effortlessly with me around the perimeter of Richmond Park, into an old boy, rather thin, now wobbly on his paws at times. I am increasingly conscious that dogs age much faster than humans and that the time he and I have left together is so precious.

In some ways, he's the same as ever. In fact, at the prospect of a walk, he's possibly even sillier and more bouncy than he was as a young dog. Mostly, he's shown me that dogs and their care needs change a lot as they age.

As I see it, there's (rightly) a huge focus on puppies and giving them the best start in life, but there's little/no talk of how to help our dogs as they age and reach the other end of their lives.

So I thought I'd share with you, over the next few weeks, what my dear, old, canine friend has taught me and, hopefully, raise awareness and understanding of what senior dogs need from their human care givers.

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