It’s been a while since I’ve posted any pictures of our dogs so I thought I’d take this opportunity. Nola is in season so her brother, Will, is off with his handler to preserve his health and sanity and so as not to drive me nuts. I’ll post some recent pictures of him later when the ordeal is over and he’s back.
Tally is 10½ now. Her magnificent spirit is completely intact. She’s got all of the vibrant drive and, well, attitude that’s been evident since the first time I saw her when she was just a few weeks old. She wants to do everything she did when she was nine months old—tear around the yard, play ball interminably, agility, sledding.
Unfortunately for all of us her flesh is failing her. When she wrassles in the yard with the pups, she comes up sore and lame. Lying in the snow is a lot colder than it was ten years ago. These days our waterbed feels mighty good. Or just snoozing in the front hall where there’s a little cool coming under the door but not so much as to chill her aging bones.
Nola is my l’il punkin, a sprite, an elf. She’s clever as Qila, energetic as Tally, and completely ruled by her nose. If we are ever to have a search and rescue dog, it will be Nola. She keeps busy with tracking and agility. And I need to find a weight pull workshop for her. She’s a natural.
Beautiful. Both of them. I have to admit to having a real soft spot for older dogs. They have a special sweetness to them that they only develop with age. When I think of old dogs I think of indian summers, kicking leaves, and mellow sunny days (with no bugs of course). Nola is cute, but Tally has LIVED!
And samoyeds are particularly wonderful….