I had an interesting revelation about my dog Bailey on Saturday during his vet visit for annual shots. It was also rather interesting that I found out he was 9 years old, when I thought he was 8 all along. I felt really bad for getting his age mixed up, but somehow I think he forgave me. I asked the vet what's the common lifespan for labs like Bailey, and she told me generally 10-12 years. Then the thought shot to my head, "that leaves me with a few years, possibly one". I said no way man, this dog is living longer than that. The vet also chimed in right after, "well given his amount of energy still, I'd say he'll beat those statistics". At this point Bailey was up on the counter with his two paws beside the vet while she was writing in his chart, very Marley-esque!
But the reality did set in, I don't have much time left with this guy. As sad as it is to think that, I have to try not to because I want to enjoy the rest of my time with him as much as I can. It's healthy to know it's coming at some point, I just hope he lets me know. Again, I really don't foresee him having any problems in the near future, he's just too much of a freakish lab!
Bailey also has a lot of heart and guts in him. When the time comes, he's definitely gonna be a fighter. This dog is tough as nails. I don't know one dog out there that can rip into 12 boxes of chocolate and survive. That happened a few years ago during the holidays. My mom generally piles up tons of chocolates in December from all her patients. We made the mistake of starting to put them under the tree one year with everything else and I came home from work one night to find Bailey on my bed with his heart racing. I immediately took him to this 24 hour emergency hospital for pets. I've never driven so fast in my life. My heart was trembling, I really wasn't sure if he could have survived. Chocolate and onions are like poison to dogs. I had to leave him overnight there and I don't think I slept a wink that night. Thankfully, by the grace of God, he made it! But really, was I surprised? We're talking about a dog that eats dry wall here and at one point in his life digested a zip lock bag!
I've started to slowly see the changes in his age and demeanor over the past year. While his energy stays at an all time high, there's subtle changes that signal he's entering senior citizen territory. Even when Bailey eats now he no longer inhales his food in under two minutes flat. He actually takes his time now. Maybe he's finally realized the true comfort in enjoying your food for what it's worth. Could he be maturing? And for all the antics and shenanigans Bailey has mastered over the years, they don't come near to overshadowing the love he's given this family. To be fair Bailey had a traumatizing childhood just like myself. Everything I went through Bailey was there for. I remember coming home looking for him one day to have my father say he let him out the front door to "teach" me a lesson. My mom, who left an office full of patients to help me find him, and I furiously put up posters all over the neighborhood thinking he was lost. He was gone for like a week. All this time, my father had him in a kennel....that asshole. How do you do that to a dog and your family? It's beyond me to comprehend. Bailey was also my saving grace a lot of the time when my parents got divorced during my first year of university. When things weren't looking up for me it was always great to come home to his wagging tail signifying that happiness is capable every day no matter what.
It's really amazing how a dog can do so much for your life without saying a word to you. They provide you with unconditional love for the exchange of pets and attention. It's certainly hard to imagine having another dog after Bailey. I'm such a dog person and always will be, but it's a weird feeling to know that the dog which has been by your side for the past 9 years (see I got it right) will eventually go away. And I will never say that I can replace Bailey with another dog because that's impossible. Bailey is definitely one of a kind and has his own place in Labrador history!
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