The Dude Abides
Oscar (our dachshund) turned 17 this week.
No, that doesn't mean he's 119 in people years (that 1 dog year = 7 people years formula is only for the first couple of years of a dog's life). According to Pedigree dog age calculator, Oscar is only 84. That actually does surprise me because 84 seems a little young. I'd at least put Oscar at 90.
However Oscar's age is measured, he's old, and his birthday is bittersweet. We know we don't have much time with him left, and watching him age has been very difficult.
But I want to concentrate on the bitter, not the sweet, in this post. While our hearts are breaking during this long slow goodbye, we know we have been so lucky to have our Oscar Dude for so long.
We got Oscar a little over 16 years ago in March of 2001 in the pre-ubiquitious internet days from a dachshund rescue organization. He was 9 months old and his family was giving him up because they were moving to a place where they couldn't have him. (We later found out that he started out life in a puppy mill and had kennel cough...I still want to beat up the people responsible for that).
We were pretty much smitten from the time we met him at his first home visit. His foster mom cried when she said goodbye to him and left him with us and we were sad for her but totally determined to give this little Dude (at 15 pounds he's a "tweenie" not a "mini" or full dachshund and more a brat than a wiener dog) a good home.
We had a slightly rocky start with Oscar adjusting to his new home because he was so stressed out that he wouldn't pee for his first couple of days with us. I was starting to get freaked out because I thought he might blow up (or get an infection). It was also a super cold March so taking him outside to pee was not fun for any of us. I even tried to get Chad, as the family's Alpha Male, to go pee outside to show him how it was done (needless to say that idea was nixed).
Sixteen years later and Oscar peeing behavior (not to mention pooping) is once again a pretty central concern in our lives. I'll just say Oscar has gotten way more baths this last year than his first sixteen years with us combined. And I know aging definitely has its downside, but I actually think the ability to poop while sleeping (as long as you have a devoted staff to clean it up) shows you are totally self-actualized.
Oscar has brought so much love and humor to our lives, and if there was a competition for cuddling and snuggling, in his prime he would have definitely been a contender. He'd also be a contender for the "World's Worst Walker" as he was always a puller on his leash who would squeal like he was being tortured whenever we stopped. I never thought Oscar was that small until I would see him out on a walk with Chad, with his little legs going as fast as they could and his ears flapping behind him. Oscar never did moderation and would run as fast as he could until he decided he was done and then he would collapse.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention another of Oscar's skills: humping. Luckily, Oscar didn't hump people very often, but he and his dog-wife Olive (yes it was an arranged marriage that worked out quite swimmingly) enjoyed vigorous and frequent humping, often at time that would cause the most embarrassment to their people. Oscar's humping days are long behind him, but he does get frequently body-slammed by his cats.
While Oscar has always been an extremely sweet dog (he was always a lover, not a fighter...although often a barker) he has always been a bit of a drama queen. We could not have survived the last couple of years without doggy Prozac to help deal with his anxiety and yelping (one of us had to be medicated anyway).
As you can probably tell by my frequent use of the past tense, many of the things Oscar used to love are no longer available to him. He now moves very slowly, can't see or hear very well, and he sleeps most of the day (pooping or not pooping). Luckily, he doesn't seem to be in any pain and still loves eating. So today he got a birthday treat of ham.
I wish I could end this post with all the wise things I've learned from having an old dog: how to be more patient, how to savor every day and appreciate the now, etc. Mostly I've just learned how to minimize the risks of being peed or pooped on, and that love is hard, and peanut butter is awesome.
No, that doesn't mean he's 119 in people years (that 1 dog year = 7 people years formula is only for the first couple of years of a dog's life). According to Pedigree dog age calculator, Oscar is only 84. That actually does surprise me because 84 seems a little young. I'd at least put Oscar at 90.
However Oscar's age is measured, he's old, and his birthday is bittersweet. We know we don't have much time with him left, and watching him age has been very difficult.
We got Oscar a little over 16 years ago in March of 2001 in the pre-ubiquitious internet days from a dachshund rescue organization. He was 9 months old and his family was giving him up because they were moving to a place where they couldn't have him. (We later found out that he started out life in a puppy mill and had kennel cough...I still want to beat up the people responsible for that).
We were pretty much smitten from the time we met him at his first home visit. His foster mom cried when she said goodbye to him and left him with us and we were sad for her but totally determined to give this little Dude (at 15 pounds he's a "tweenie" not a "mini" or full dachshund and more a brat than a wiener dog) a good home.
We had a slightly rocky start with Oscar adjusting to his new home because he was so stressed out that he wouldn't pee for his first couple of days with us. I was starting to get freaked out because I thought he might blow up (or get an infection). It was also a super cold March so taking him outside to pee was not fun for any of us. I even tried to get Chad, as the family's Alpha Male, to go pee outside to show him how it was done (needless to say that idea was nixed).
Sixteen years later and Oscar peeing behavior (not to mention pooping) is once again a pretty central concern in our lives. I'll just say Oscar has gotten way more baths this last year than his first sixteen years with us combined. And I know aging definitely has its downside, but I actually think the ability to poop while sleeping (as long as you have a devoted staff to clean it up) shows you are totally self-actualized.
Oscar has brought so much love and humor to our lives, and if there was a competition for cuddling and snuggling, in his prime he would have definitely been a contender. He'd also be a contender for the "World's Worst Walker" as he was always a puller on his leash who would squeal like he was being tortured whenever we stopped. I never thought Oscar was that small until I would see him out on a walk with Chad, with his little legs going as fast as they could and his ears flapping behind him. Oscar never did moderation and would run as fast as he could until he decided he was done and then he would collapse.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention another of Oscar's skills: humping. Luckily, Oscar didn't hump people very often, but he and his dog-wife Olive (yes it was an arranged marriage that worked out quite swimmingly) enjoyed vigorous and frequent humping, often at time that would cause the most embarrassment to their people. Oscar's humping days are long behind him, but he does get frequently body-slammed by his cats.
While Oscar has always been an extremely sweet dog (he was always a lover, not a fighter...although often a barker) he has always been a bit of a drama queen. We could not have survived the last couple of years without doggy Prozac to help deal with his anxiety and yelping (one of us had to be medicated anyway).
As you can probably tell by my frequent use of the past tense, many of the things Oscar used to love are no longer available to him. He now moves very slowly, can't see or hear very well, and he sleeps most of the day (pooping or not pooping). Luckily, he doesn't seem to be in any pain and still loves eating. So today he got a birthday treat of ham.
I wish I could end this post with all the wise things I've learned from having an old dog: how to be more patient, how to savor every day and appreciate the now, etc. Mostly I've just learned how to minimize the risks of being peed or pooped on, and that love is hard, and peanut butter is awesome.
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