Checking in on Candice

Candice is the most senior dog around here at 12 or more years of age. She has surprised me with how active she has become, however, more than I would have thought possible. 

She now gets up with everyone else first thing in the morning instead of sleeping in and awaiting until I bring her food to her indoors. She follows all the other dogs out to the dog yard shed where I feed everyone. Everyone except her, that is, I have always fed Candice indoors because I bring her food dish in and add her carprofen to it along with warm water to soften the dry food. I've only fed Candice indoors since she's been here but now she's insisting on coming outside to watch as I feed all the others. She seems to want me to feed her there and then as well, but I still insist that she come back inside to eat so she doesn't have any competition for her food.

If you look at Candice and watch her walk, she seems very frail and unsteady. She's regained all the weight she needs so I guess she doesn't look all that frail now, but her back legs aren't great and her gait is definitely stilted. Baby girl Bailey is oblivious to all that, however, and tries to play with Candice. I generally try to stop it or redirect her, but for her part Candice doesn't really seem to hate it. She can't engage in the rough wrestling style of play, but she will run with the baby girl. And it's enough that Bailey considers her to be a viable playmate. I'm not sure if Candice can hear, or how well. She isn't very responsive when I call her, but part of that may just be an old dog's "I'll-do-what-I-want-to-do" attitude.

I cleaned out the space under the stairs where Cabell used to hang out and set up a nice bed in there for Candice. It's out of the way so she doesn't get trampled when the dogs come downstairs but she's able to observe everyone as they pass by. Her favorite place, however, is in the front room where Clay sits when he's home. When he's home she thinks that's where he is supposed to be, just as Maya thinks I'm supposed to be at my desk upstairs where she lays at my feet for hours. 

Candice is tougher than I ever realized. She proved that by making her way around the neighborhood and living on her own for all that time that she was lost. And she's still tougher, stronger, and faster than I ever expected she would be.