This post may contain affiliate or referral links, which means I may receive a commission if you purchase something using my link. It will be no extra cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting Getting Fit Fab.
This post was inspired by Sarah from Venus Trapped in Mars post… My Heart Can’t Take It. It’s about dogs, and how she’s been sad but wasn’t sure why.
You know those dog posts you see on your Facebook news feed? The one’s with the new puppies, or older dogs looking for homes, and the one that Sarah mentioned “How Dogs Get Older“. Reading that post, broke my heart in a million pieces, just how Sarah was thinking of losing her 2 dogs, I feel the same way.
So I decided to sit down and write down my feelings, I am (like Sarah) a very upbeat, happy person. But thinking really hard, about my dog, my baby, Baloo. He turned 11 on November 17th, which also means I’ve had him for 10.5 years. I adopted him when he was 4.5 months old, 25 lbs underweight, dirty, and extremely scared.
. Slowly, I mean REAL slow, snail’s pace slow, we got Baloo to trust us, to believe we wouldn’t beat him, abandon him, and that we were his forever home. It took a lot of loving, cuddling, spoiling, car rides, snuggles, kisses, coaxing, after about 4 years he started to realize we were it, he wasn’t going anywhere else but home.
He loved and still loves car rides to anywhere, even if it’s around the block, he still loves to cuddle. He loves to smoosh his large body in his chair, yes HIS chair, you can’t sit in HIS chair. He gets treats daily, loves to run around our backyard freely, he tries to chase birds and squirrels. He also thinks that raccoons are just like cats that he can shake to death… which doesn’t work. As he grew older he’s gotten more comfortable with us, and the men (my uncles and cousins) that come by the house, they won’t hurt him nor will they hurt us. He’s still protective of me, if anyone hugs me, he jumps and/or barks his head off, and sometimes even nips with his front teeth in a “back off” kind of way.
Baloo is a girl’s best friend, he listens when I have a bad day, he sits up when I come home from work so he can give me a “hug”, he puts his paws on my shoulders and kisses my cheek. He loves my fiancé, they are thick as thieves really, CA gives him treats, BUYS treats for him whenever he can, and shares his food and dessert with Baloo.
Through all this it doesn’t escape my mind, that he’s old now, my dog Samantha who was the exact same mix as Baloo lived until she was 17. Baloo has some lumps and bumps that come from being half Labrador, they all move but still they can form into something else. We are hoping Baloo lives a very long, fulfilling life, where he can still do all the activities he loves. We are also realistic, that dogs do not live as long as their owners or even half the amount.
There’s real no point to this post but to share my feelings because that’s what this blog was first made for, to share my thoughts, feelings, and my life. Baloo is a great huge part of my life, he protects me, warns me when someone comes to the door, cuddles me when I’m sick, gives me a hug when I get home from work. Most of all, he’s my best friend, he listens, and brings me joy each day that I have him in my life. I hope that he knows exactly how much I love him, that he’s the best dog ever, and that I couldn’t be more happy that I was able to adopt him. I am so glad when I searched him his little face popped up and they let me have him.
I hope that if you ever get a dog, you can feel all the love from them like I feel from Baloo.
All I want is to give you and Baloo a big group hug right now. General was the same way, it took him so long to finally get him to trust me. Some dogs just show trust right away, I think it’s the ones that take a little bit more coaxing that really make the biggest impression on our hearts!! Loved this post, chick.
Such a sweet, poignant living tribute to your four legged friend. Wishing you many more days with him and wishing him health and happiness.
This post is so sweet, and I know exactly how you feel! Our dog is only three years old, and I absolutely refuse to think about life without her. I’ve grown up always having a dog in our family, and losing them is just as painful as losing a family member.