On August 29th, Lady Gretchen Greer, aka: Bubby, Puppy, Gg and more, celebrated her 15th birthday. It’s a huge milestone for any dog, but Gg’s been through a lot and keeps on keeping on. Anxiety, low thyroid, Cushing’s, cataracts, incontinence and she’s still be-bopping and barking her head off with joy when we get home.

On October 23rd, we honor her Gotcha Day by finding this post and hitting publish.

Actually, she’s living her best life. I don’t remember her last panic attack, and that’s saying something, given that we went to the vet in mid-August for her routine Cushing’s bloodwork. Some of it is due to her increasing blindness; she totally missed the giant poodle that quietly exited almost under her nose, and she wandered into a corner (on the cat side of the waiting area, but she’s well-known at the vet and no one minded) and staged herself on top of the pheromone diffuser.

She still likes a good walkabout, but most of them are self-guided, short strolls in the yard. The intense heat and humidity, along with Lily’s reactivity have kept us close to home anyway. As fall approaches, I’m trying to decide whether Gg wants a backpack, sling, etc. so she can walk with us and then stay with us while we continue our walks. She’d probably most prefer a stroller, but Lily often requires both of my hands, and getting out of the road often means heading up an embankment and/or over a ditch. I welcome all suggestions!

Edit to add a friend gifted us a K9 Sport Sack and if I can master “getting her dressed” by myself, it’s going to be great for the early morning wogs, as we’ve figured out that Gretchen HATES walking in the dark. As fall marches on, we might need it in the evenings too.

She doesn’t hate Lily. In fact, once in a while she overplays her hand and shows she actually likes having the little bull in our china shop. When we got home from the vet, she was at Lily’s crate, putting her nose to Lily’s, before I could get there. And at night, she waits for Lily at the top step, and then they descend, shoulder to … front leg.

I most miss Gg’s snuggles, but thanks to two Cushing’s dog Facebook groups, I know that many of them run hot and are no longer as into cuddles as they once were. I treasure the sweet kisses I get most nights when I tuck her in (at my side) and in the mornings. The cool fall weather has provided for some sweet early morning snuggles!

Nothing makes her happier than feeding time, unless it’s when her people come home. She barks and barks and tells me all about her day. We both miss the days when she went with me to the gym and to work, but we’re grateful for those memories, and again, her anxiety is mostly a non-issue after a lifelong battle.

Happy 15 years together, sweet Gg. I’m still insisting you’re going to live to be 20 and looking forward to making that little nubbins of a tail wag in a blur while you tell me about your day, while you bebop on walks and anything else that brings you joy!