“Ma’am, we’re going to need you to sign this form too,” the groomer at Petco slid over a piece of paper for me to sign acknowledging my dog was a senior dog and the risk associated with that.

SENIOR dog? How did this happen? 

This was more than a year ago. Snoop turned 10 in December. TEN! I think that’s 70 in dog years. In my eyes he’s still just a big puppy. He gets excited when he sees bunnies or birds in our back yard. He plays tug-o-war with the kids, and does all of his old tricks. Snoop may be getting old but the only real indicator is the grey on his muzzle. Ok well, he’s always slept a lot, but he sleeps even more now. He farts all the time and he snores louder than ever. But aside from that…

My husband and I adopted him from an animal shelter in Utah 10 years ago and immediately started treating him like our little child. Including dressing him and taking him with me anywhere dogs were allowed. Seven years and two kids later, Snoop’s had a bit of a fall from grace. There were some rough patches in there where he got fleas and I had a newborn and didn’t think I could handle it all. But he’s stayed loyal and so sweet and as patient and happy as ever. Even as we prepare for our third baby, he is extra attached to me and as snuggly as he has been each time I was pregnant. But now we know we really need to appreciate these days with him.

I’m hoping he has at least another five years in him. That’s possible right? I hope so. I know a lot of people work to make the last day with their pet extra special: Take them to their favorite spot. Give them their favorite food. Play with their favorite toy. That sort of thing. I want us to do more of that before we get to the end. We want to make these senior years some of the best he’s had.

Lately we’ve been pulling out all the stops. We’re letting him sleep on the bed now and then. Or jump on the couch when that’s always been forbidden. We are playing more of his favorite games. My daughter even finds him sleeping in her closet under her dress up clothes and doesn’t make him move. Maybe we realize how much we’ve been taking him for granted. To Snoop, we are his everything. And he means so much to us too.

He seems happiest when he’s licking our toes, doing a trick for a treat, or eating soft food. We’ve always bought him high-quality dog food, but lately he doesn’t always eat it. I get sad when he’s bowl stays full most of the day. I  recently discovered Freshpet (he’s been eating the tender Beef Recipe – with shredded sweet potatoes, green beans and carrots) and he always eats it right away. Actually, he gets excited before we even set it down. Freshpet, is an all-natural pet food, fresh from the fridge. Freshpet never uses any additives or preservatives.  It’s the next best thing to a home cooked meal for your pet.

Snoop has always been the perfect dog to us. So great with the kids, easy going, and quick to learn tricks. My husband says Snoop will be our one and only dog. While I’m not sure if that’ll be the case, I definitely can’t imagine another dog as perfect as he’s been for us.

It seems as though we’ve reached his doggie retirement years and I hope they last a long time. I pray our new little girl gets to meet and know him like our other kids have. And hopefully we’ll get that big yard soon enough for him to run around and enjoy too.

Even if he is a senior dog, we still love him like he’s a puppy we all want to cherish him, and continue to spoil him with good food and lots of love through the rest of his (hopefully much longer) life.

Thanks to Freshpet for sponsoring this post. Check out Freshpet refrigerated pet food, made in small batches with fresh ingredients and no artificial preservatives, for a difference you can see and your pet will feel.

Tags: ad, dog, pets, snoop