Slowing down these days...

I am spending more time slowing down these days. I have an older dog and want to enjoy his golden years with him...

 I’ve tried to stop multitasking when we’re together. When we walk the property I no longer hurry him constantly. This is hard sometimes when I've allotted "x" amount of time to squeak in a walk. I stop and let him sniff and gently prod after a good amount of time to get him going again. It pleases me that he likes to hang out in the studio while I work. I have taken to pausing work to sit on the floor and whisper sweet nothings to him a few times a day. He gets treats, pretty much, whenever he asks. He’s a big boy. In his heyday he was around 80 lbs. Now he weighs in around 65 lbs. Being almost 100 in dog years, he sleeps a lot and sometimes forgets where he is… and who I am.

He started out as a disobedient “Eddie Haskell” type puppy. It took him 3 times to pass intermediate obedience class. It wasn’t because he wasn’t smart. He was just more interested in what HE would rather be doing. Oh yeah, he would chase deer, rabbits, neighbor kitties and anything that would run from him. I would call out to him, as I saw what was about to happen. He would look back at me and I could almost see the thought process. He’d think “Hmmmm do I really want to go back or do I want to chase this varmint?” Then he’d choose the latter and come back full of stickers, poison oak, or worse yet, skunk spray. When his sister Frankie, my first born, passed away I noticed a subtle shift in him. Wilson started to become the “Good Boy.” Still, to this day, I ask him “Who knew you’d be the GOOD BOY?” It makes him smile. And that makes me smile.

So as I sit here on the dirty floor, with Wilson’s head in my lap, petting his long soft white fur while I ponder things. Maybe multi tasking is over rated. Maybe I don’t get my 10,000 daily steps on this lap around the property. We doddle and walk slower but I get more time with my big boy in his golden years. We are making memories. Someday, sooner that I’d like, he will be gone. Besides all the dog fur I will find in clothing for years to come, memories are all I will have. I believe I am better for having known Wilson. He taught me patience. He taught me tolerance. He taught me how to bake him liver brownies and endure the smell in the house after. He taught me to not to wear black pants around him. He taught me “ruv" and inspired so much great art. So for now, I am enjoying our time together. He will furever be my GOOD BOY.

If you have a FFB (furry four-legged bestie) you want to celebrate, or are missing one who has gone ~ I am the artist for you. I make heartfelt keepsakes that will bring you Ruv for years to come. Peruse my website and bark at me if you have questions. Sincerest Wags, Stacey