Lately I have been worried about this guy:



Jakey, or "Yakey" as my Columbian housekeeper Amparo used to call him, was my baby before Maxie was.  I got him about a month before Ted and I re-met.  He was a year old then.  He is seven years old now.  I adore my Yakey.  He is such a funny dog.  He's super friendly and cuddly...not the brightest candle on the cake.  He forgets how to use his doggy door several times daily.  He's afraid of vacuum cleaners and ironing boards.  Whereas his sister, Layla, is a staunch protector of Maxie and Mo, Jakey hardly notices our babies at all.

By Goldendoodle standards, Yakey is middle aged with the average lifespan of his breed being 9-12 years.  But, lately he hasn't been feeling great.  He lies on the floor and moans and cries.  When you approach him to see what's going on, he wags his tail and acts like he wants to play.  But, then when you walk away, he moans and cries again.  There have been a few nights lately where Ted and I were roused from near sleep by the sounds of Jakey's groans.  I can't stand it.

In all likelihood, he is just having some joint pain.  Goldendoodles commonly develop hip displacia. We can tell that it is a little harder for him to get off of our wood floors once he is laying down.  They are slippery for him and he hasn't got the strength to push past that as easily.  It seems like it happened over night...or maybe I just didn't pay enough attention to him over the past year.  I'm sure he'll be around for a few more years but I am worried and scared about him getting old.  I know I've said a hundred times that a dog's death is not the same as a person's death.  It isn't.  But that doesn't mean that losing him won't break my heart.  It will.  Hopefully he'll be here for a long time.  He is an important part of our family.