Thursday, April 25, 2013

A New Old Dog Joins the Pack

We are happy to be able to welcome old Buddy into our home.  He was my father and step-mother's dog since he was a wee baby adopted from North Shore Animal League.  His "mom" passed away last summer and Dad could not take care of him any longer so Buddy will live out his days with us here at OtterTail Farm.  He is 11 1/2 years old and has been blind for 5 or 6 years.  He seems to have lost most or all of his hearing in one ear, so locating sounds is difficult for him and he ends up circling to find his way.  He has a few health issues we are addressing.

I was worried that such a major move and change of life style might be too much for the old boy, but he is proving to be very adaptable.  Buddy gets more comfortable with our home, yard and schedule every day and is very interested in all the new smells.  He has always been ok with my dogs though not particularly friendly and sometimes annoyed if they came too close, but he is more relaxed with them now too and has initiated a few good sniffs of his own.  The thing that wowed me the most is that after only a few days of being lead on a regular route he managed to find his way from far out in the dog yard back to the stoop and figured out the dog door all by himself!  Way to go Buddy!  We hope he finds happiness here despite missing my Dad.  We are thankful to be in a position to take care of him and offer him peace for the rest of his journey.

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