here)<\/a> when she was just seven weeks old, so she\u2019s lived those dozen years rarely more than a few yards away from my feet—whether lumbering along the neighborhood sidewalks; gallumping in the Basset\u2019s trademark, absurd gait, through happy lawns at the park; or dropping hopefully to the floor under the dinner table, where falling rewards so often come to those who wait.\u00a0 Especially, as she never fails to discern, since the grandchildren have arrived.<\/p>\nWe are regular features on the neighborhood sidewalks at prime dog-walking hours, for she considers a good walk spoiled if there are no neighbors to administer attention or other dogs with butts to sniff.\u00a0 Lately, in these encounters, the neighbors often ask, \u201cHow old is she now?\u201d\u00a0 A fellow dog-lover in our family told me recently she refuses to answer that about her own dog, stoutly declining to tally up the years and acknowledge the passage of time.\u00a0 Part of me understands and wants to adopt that approach, but the truth tends to earn my pal even more indulgent attention, so I usually opt for transparency.\u00a0 It helps anoint her, you might say, as the Dowager Queen of the local four-footed populace.<\/p>\n
She earns her title not just because of age, but because of who she is.\u00a0 While bred to chase low-ground game over long miles of open fields in ancient France, and thus evolving for practical reasons, the Basset Hound is surely one of the canine world\u2019s most comedic architectural achievements.\u00a0Everyone laughs at the sad, droopy face, the massive front feet (and I do mean huge, as one paw entirely fills the palm of my hand), and the strangely thick limbs supporting a stout, muscular torso.\u00a0Teaching a Basset to drop \u201cdown\u201d on command is the easiest win of all dog-training, as the floor is but a few inches below, and such a happy destination for one who relaxes with such utter abandon.<\/p>\n
The dozen years this Basset and I have shared began the year I turned 50.\u00a0 While I often snicker sarcastically at the similar challenges inflicted on old dogs and women of a certain age, lately I\u2019ve begun to think a lot about what a profound gift it is, the chance to grow old together, whether with your dog, your life partner, your friends, your family.\u00a0 Maybe this dog was given to me, in part, to help me make peace with the passage of time in the way only a dog can do.<\/p>\n
What might be learned from watching her change and adapt to being older, as the months crank inexorably forward?\u00a0 How do dogs know, so instinctively, to accommodate what comes?\u00a0 I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only dog lover to wish we could have an actual conversation.\u00a0 A hound dog is the soul of exploration and discovery, focused only on whatever is beyond the next bend.\u00a0 So, if she could verbalize, she\u2019d probably disdain to reflect on aging.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have to settle for learning from her instincts, and from watching her actions.<\/p>\n
As I do, I think:<\/p>\n
Why hurry?<\/strong>\u00a0 If we show intent and direction, maybe the world should learn to tolerate our slower pace.\u00a0 If we get there when we get there, is anyone really worse off for it?<\/p>\nPatience may be the virtue that eases all other problems<\/strong>, at the roots.\u00a0 Maybe it really, really is true, that learning to wait for what we want makes the arrival all the sweeter.\u00a0 This one is a hard sell on me, the perennial, anxious pacer, but she inspires me to take a breath.\u00a0 And then another.\u00a0 And when you blend patience with the persistence in the marrow of the hound-dog bones, triumph is virtually inevitable.<\/p>\nTake your medicine<\/strong>.\u00a0Trust those who say you should.\u00a0 A little peanut butter may help.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/dog2-225x300.jpg\")
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A nap, no matter what length, makes all the world a better place.<\/strong>\u00a0 It probably contributes materially to No. 2, above.\u00a0 When in need, drop to the nearest surface, and let gravity have its way with the eyelids.\u00a0 Life will resume its fervor, soon enough.<\/p>\nEven when age changes the world\u2019s view of us, at certain times,\u00a0our voice must still be heard.<\/strong>\u00a0 Refer again to No. 2 above, but when the time comes, don\u2019t hesitate.\u00a0 One time, with clarity, from deep down in the heart and chest, may be enough to rivet the world on your point.\u00a0 Save your effort until that\u2019s really necessary.<\/p>\nFinally, in all circumstances, for all things, no matter where the trail may lead, keep your eyes on your beloved<\/strong> and never stray far from the cherished presence.\u00a0 Keep eye contact whenever possible, for nothing else conveys what the eyes can say.\u00a0 If you are lucky enough to lay your head on the cherished foot, or in the lap, or at the end of the outstretched arm, life offers nothing more sublime.\u00a0 What can possibly matter more?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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My best pal, a shiny, stunning \u201cginger,\u201d as the British call redheads, is getting white on top. Surely it has happened gradually, but I suddenly noticed it recently, in full force, for the first time.\u00a0Staring at her across the room for the zillionth time as she dozed in the blissful sleep of the guiltless, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[62,63,64],"class_list":["post-1289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mid-life-adventures","tag-basset-hounds","tag-lessons-from-dogs","tag-old-dogs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmachronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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