Sharp End update

An aging but distinguished looking Sharp End

I thought after posting about Elliot it was only fair to give you an update on how Sharp End is doing...here is his latest pic...yes I know he's not really allowed on the furniture, and yes I know he is lounging on a leather armchair, but when you get to his age you've earned the right to bend the rules a little...and Sharp End if you are reading this, I said "a little" lol.

These days he is wobbly and on medication but he is still enjoying life. His body is covered in fatty tumour-like lumps but the vet says they are the least of his worries. Sadly he has Chronic Nerve Degeneration. Sometimes he cannot get up straight away and there are times when he drags one foot but he doesn't seem too frustrated by it. If he cannot get up he will bark to let us know and we give him a helping hand. He is still eating very well, both the food we give him and the food he manages to steal when we are not looking lol.

"Mmm, looks good enough to paddle in"

 We didn't think he'd make it but amazingly last month he went on holiday to Wales with us. In this picture he is contemplating going for a paddle in a Welsh river :) His body looks a barrel shape but that is because he has one lump the size of half a football on his shoulder/side and another not far off that size on his undercarriage on the opposite side...this is in addition to all the other various sized ones he has dotted around. The vet says they are not causing him distress and any kind of operation most certainly would, so it is best to leave them well alone. He is now by far the oldest of his breed the vet has treated and so we are counting our blessings that he is still with us even though he does look rather lumpy and bumpy!

He is unable to get in the Doxiemobile these days but we have a ramp that allows him to get into Mr D's car albeit it with a shove and "heave-ho!" from us. Mr D also made him a ramp to help him up the steps in the garden, he tried to step up the side of it first and had a couple of tumbles but now realises that if you start from the bottom life is much easier lol. When he is 'warmed up' he can still do a half run / trot,  it doesn't last long but it is perfectly adequate for chasing a ball. He does fall over a fair bit but he just shakes himself and gets back up, often looking at us as if to say "Did you push me?" lol

"Alas poor Bonio I knew him well"

He recently decided to get a bit too involved with some crafting I was doing...making flowers out of paper doilies...somehow he ended up wearing a homemade 'Shakespearian' doily collar...The rather fed up look was not because of the collar, he's always been okay with having hats and things put on him lol...but he was most dis-chuffed because he didn't want to sit still for the photo...his favourite visitor N was sitting to one side of him and he was desperate to go and lay on his feet lol.

So there you have it, that's what an aging Sharp End looks like. He is 14 now which is not the norm for a dog of his size and breeding. He comes with all the problems of old age that humans have ( I am always handy with my bucket and mop ) but we love him just as much as we ever did!

Dox