[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHNEewPnfFE:550:0]
I love my older dogs. (Of course I love all of my dogs…) I can’t understand really how any musher can get rid of their old dogs. After those dogs have run their hearts out for you, have been in your life for many many years and that many people have raised from puppies. I guess my bond with my dogs overrides the mentality that they are a farm animal and once their working life is over, then it is time to get rid of them. As they age and change, mellow and settle into their older bones, the geriatric dog brings a song to my heart as I watch them run and play and lay in the sun peacefully. The husky is a tough breed. They don’t have a lot of inherited diseases. Their mixed breed genes keep them from many of the woes of the purebreed dogs. In my video, Beans turned 15. Another dog tottering through the frames is Crowe who is soon to be 14 years old. Star will be 15 in May. 5 dogs are heading to 14 this spring and summer. Many are turning 12 or 13 this year.
I think of them in their prime. Their speed and their athleticism. Many of these older dogs are still running and it still thrills me to take them out even though we can’t go as far or as fast. Just the joy on their faces of the run makes it all worthwhile. I don’t care about winning or racing all the time. (although we do both at times!) I just care that I can give my companions a satisfying and happy life with the geriatric years full of activities and love too.