[Corky/Max]

The Ten Things Your Dog Wants You To Know

by Danielle Hollister

If your dog could talk, these are some of most important things she would like to tell you...

1 - My life will probably only last 7 to 14 years. It will hurt me more than you know if I have to be away from you for longer than a day or two.

2 - If you have patience with me and give me time to learn what you would like from me, I can promise you, you will never be disappointed.

3 - Trust me with your life and have faith in our future together. If I don't feel that you honestly believe in me, I will suffer great emotional stress. My sense of self-worth is totally dependent upon your confidence in me.

4 - Don't stay mad at me for long or confine me to a cage to punish me. You have your friends, your job, and your recreation. I HAVE ONLY YOU!

5 - Talk to me about anything you want as frequently as possible. Even if I can't comprehend your precise words, I can understand the meaning of what you're telling me by the tone of your voice.

6 - Remember no matter how you treat me, I will NEVER forget it.

7 - When you consider raising your hand to hit me, remember I have teeth that could break the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.

8 - Before you scream at me for failing to respond to your commands as I usually do, take time to think about what might be wrong with me that would cause me to treat you differently. Maybe I haven't been eating right or drinking enough water. Or maybe my age is catching up with me and I just can't do what I used to do.

9 - Take good care of me when I get old. Someday you will be as old as me and you will see how it feels.

10 - Be there for me through good times and bad. Never say you can't handle taking me to the vets for stitches or surgery. Nothing could make me feel worse. Everything in my life is easier for me to deal with when I have you standing by my side. Remember my love for you is unconditional and it will last for your entire life.

[Lara's mom]

Beautiful! I particularly like #5 because a lot of my friends think I'm nuts because I talk to my girls a lot.

[LindaLinda]

Wow! I loved this so much.
Thanks for sharing.
It is so true that we have to have patience and realize alot of their behaviors come from old age or health problems. The last three months of my dog Zekes (a beagle/Australian Shepherd mix) life he had what is similar to Alzheimers in humans....constant barking, looking lost all the time, wandering around during the night etc. He always had such dancing eyes and at the end his eyes just seemed blank. We dont even think he knew who we were or even recognized his surroundings at the very end. It was particularly hard since he was the dog that was the closest to me...he was truly a "velcro dog". It has been 5 and a half years and his death I dont think I will ever get over. It may sound weird but I had a better understanding of what he was going through because my stepmom had had demantia and he pretty much had the same type of symptoms. Lots of love and patience is the key!

[Lara's mom]

Check with a vet. I know there is a drug that is similar to what humans get to slow the progress of dementia.