Secret’s “Gotcha Day” is coming up soon. On October 1st, she will have been with us for five years. She was six when we adopted her from her rescuer. When she came to live with us, she had a constant look of concern on her face. She always seemed worried. Her demeanor seemed older than six; we felt like we had adopted an “old” dog. Twenty-two dog years have passed since then* and, in some ways, Secret seems younger now than she did then.
Recently, I took a photo of her that reminded me of a photo from the first or second day after we adopted her. I put them side-by-side to compare. Obviously, there are more signs of aging than I realized before I looked at this – her coloring is lighter, her features are softer – but the amazing change that jumped out at me from these was that the worried look is gone. She is a content, healthy, well-loved dog now and it shows!
Secret in 2006 & 2011
It makes me incredibly happy to know I played a part in changing this sweet dog’s life for the better.
*The 1 year = 7 “dog years” formula is only an average. Dogs mature at a slower rate as they age.
Thank you so much for writing this. Sometimes I forget to be grateful for the subtler changes and this was a good reminder.
It was a good reminder for me as well to appreciate all my dogs for who they are at this very moment in time.
She has aged well. 🙂
You can tell from the first picture she looked worried the recent she looks much happier and alert.
Most old shiba inu I’ve seen seem to age well in their old age and are pretty healthy for a dog their age.
I hope she lives for many years to come. 🙂
Oh, goodness! She had almost the same color as Koji does now. Guess I probably have a white pup too look forward to as the Kojster gets older. 😉