Hello, hello! This post is all about miss Zoey – who just celebrated her 8th birthday! The pups don’t get enough of the spotlight around here these days so I’m going to shower Zoey with love and admiration as she enters her “golden” (senior) years.

ZOEY’S 8th BIRTHDAY! 

Zoey turned 8 years old on October 6 and I truly can’t believe it. How? I got Zoey when Sullie was 8 and she was the best little sister to Sullie. If you want to go down memory lane, here’s the post I wrote for Zoey’s first birthday where I talked about embracing that there’s rarely a “right time” for anything.

Zoey was a wonderful companion to Sullie and kept her active, playful and moving for almost five more years. Now she’s the best big sister to Finn and Benji. It’s been special to watch her transition into more of the alpha/protector role. I got emotional going through eight years worth of photos of Zoey for her birthday tribute. Our dogs are a constant presence through so many of life’s adventures and challenges. What a ride it was with Sullie, and now I have so many special times with Zoey.

Eight has hit me hard with Zoey. It feels like a true transition into her senior years. Senior goldens are my absolute favorite sweet souls in the whole world but these years can be full of ups and downs.

HEALTH CHALLENGES

I mostly get very scared of the C word because we’ve lost all of our goldens to it. I took Zoey to the vet the day before her birthday because she had a hot spot on her face and I found the first lump I’ve ever felt on her. In that visit, she was also diagnosed with a double ear infection (hot spot and ear infection are likely related to fall allergies) and the doctor found a really big cyst on the underside of her tail that had popped up super quickly. She needle aspirated the lump and the cyst. The lump is just a fatty lipoma but she saw suspect cells on in the cyst and sent it off to the lab for pathology. I was so anxious waiting on the results but luckily it came back benign. Had it been malignant, they would have amputated her tail due to where the cyst is located. Big prayers that everything stays benign.

I’m happy to report that Zoey’s hot spot is healing and her ear infection is improving. I had to put her in an inflatable donut collar because she just wouldn’t leave her hot spot alone and kept scratching the scab off and opening it back up. She seems to tolerate the donut much better than the cone and it keeps her from getting to that spot on her face.

ZOEY’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

After spending her birthday eve at the vet, Finn and I made sure to spoil Zoey on her birthday. We went to PetsMart and picked out new toys and treats for her, and baked her a birthday cake. I am happy to report that so far these Rip Roarin’ Tough toys are actually tough! We’ve had both of them out for a week now and neither dog has been able to rip into them. They also have a fun and loud squeaker!

A BOY AND HIS ZOEY 

I want to take a moment to talk about Finn’s bond with Zoey. He loves her so much and it absolutely melts my heart. He talks about how sweet and beautiful she is all the time. We were on a walk last week and Finn looked down at Zoey and said, “Aw, look how beautiful Zoey girl is.” I agreed and he said, “She looks so beautiful in her purple (harness).” Zoey has been with Finn since he was born and they’ve developed a special relationship. He loves helping with Zoey whether that’s brushing her, throwing the ball or feeding her. It’s very sweet and Finn is great with both dogs. I’m glad they’re all growing up together! 🙂

One more because I can’t help myself. <3

CHEERS TO MANY MORE

While Zoey may be entering her golden years and slowing down a little bit, she’s still got plenty of spunk and stamina. She still loves to chase a ball and wrestle with Benji and regularly walks 3-5 miles. I think it’s so important to keep senior dogs as active as is comfortable for them. Sullie wrestled/played (pretty hard!) with Zoey and walked 3 miles with us well into her 12th year. It wasn’t until she was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma shortly before her 13th birthday that she really slowed down.

I am looking forward to many, many more snuggles, walks, adventures and sweet memories with Zoey. And I’ll keep wondering when she’s going to stop eating deer poop in the yard and stealing food off the counter. 😉

QUESTIONS 

How old are your pups? 

Do you kids have a special bond with your dog(s)? 

What’s your favorite thing about being a dog owner?