Old Dogs are the Best Pets to Have.

I will tell you this. Old dogs are the best pets to have. They want nothing more than to lay around your house, eat some food, and be around you when you’re doing something very relaxing. I know. I’ve got one.

I’ve adopted puppies. They’re a complete pain in the ass. They want to run around constantly. They’ll try to tell you they are the boss once they get a little feel for themselves. Once they realize that they can make a demand or two. If you have any sense you’ll let them know, they aren’t the boss. They don’t own the couch nor do you jump up at their command. Otherwise you’re constantly on call.

Yup, old dogs know the score. That or they just don’t care to call the shots anymore. They’re content to relax and let the young dogs run to the window to see if the mailman really is daring to approach the front door.

Don’t get me wrong. They might act like they care, but they really don’t. They’re just barking to let you know that there may be something you have to handle here very soon. You can tell. When they bark and look at you…it’s your problem to deal with. They’re just sounding the alarm.

If they can still hear you’ll do ok to tell them “Enough! I’ve got this one.” They understand a commanding tone. They might bark a few more times but that’s just the fading shadow of youth. Their way of telling you “Ok, you handle this one but I don’t like the look of him. Not one bit.” All of you have been there.

The true joy of having an older dog is knowing that lounging around is their highest aspiration. The other aspiration is one more walk on a sunny day. Hell, one more walk is often all their asking for. The sun is optional.

That’s the joy of owning an older dog. The bright shining example that true contentment comes from being with people who love you and enjoying the times that you have together. Whether they’re sunny days, cloudy ones, rainy crap days, or even snowy cold ones. The truth is that having those days is the blessing. A day with the knowledge that you’ll be taken care of, eat good food, and have a pleasant spot to lay down when you’re a bit tired. Those are truly the good things that get over looked when you’re too young or busy to know their true worth.

Old dogs know this. Some of them have been places where all of that were in question. They might be animals but they remember. They remember the uncertainty of being around people who by necessity can’t look you in the eye or offer you kindness. They know, things can be much worse than now.

It’s good to have an old dog around. They don’t ask for much and let you know that any day where you are loved, cared for, warm, and fed are glorious ones.

-Anonymous