Shanti

This is Shanti whom we have had for 6 months! She is brilliant and we all love her! She is a regal and elegant older lady and we don't ask her for her age and she doesn't tell us!
Shanti doesn't run too well - not at all really - although she has been known to trot after a squirrel or one of our eight cats!
The stairs are a struggle and she has recently become a little lame on the front left leg and is due to be seen by an orthopaedic specialist vet.  We are all a little sad at the moment because we don't know what the outcome is going to be - it is going to be a bit expensive and we all say that we 'don't care!' because Shanti is part of our family - and we love her.

Shanti's Mom (who has never really been a dog lover) has been found to be doing silly things like cooking Shanti fresh meat from the Butcher's, giving her better meat than I get!, taking her for walks every day (when Shanti can manage), feeding her on the living room carpet, buying her rugs for the living room and bedroom, getting her quilts with covers and waterproof liners - and never getting cross when Shanti has the odd accident with her 'waterworks'. But then, between you and me, Shant's Mom has been known to have the odd accident herself!  If you choose an older dog just make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for!  It can be expensive and, as Shanti's Mom keeps telling me, I have to look at the pleasure Shanti has given over the past 6 months rather than thinking that she may not have a long time left which makes me a bit sad. To be honest - it upsets me! We will all 'move heaven and earth' to keep her going with a good quality of life.

She is a perfect lady in every way and we are all glad that we have her - and we thank her for the pleasure and fun that she gives - like when I go to kiss her and she sneezes in my face - it's terrible but I am not put off! I have got used to that with Shanti's Mom! And we don't want anyone to think that Shanti is 'past it' just yet!

Her teeth are not too good and the vet suggested that we get her a bone to help keep them clean.  This did seem a good idea at the time but when we discovered 2 teeth on the carpet I had to go around asking everyone if they had any teeth missing!  Now, I am not saying that Shanti's teeth are sharp - but she can crush a bone - and I mean CRUSH. More like 'destroy'! And rather quickly!  But in the best interests of her teeth we decided to buy her some dog 'chewy' things. That seemed to be okay until one got stuck to her teeth! Her Mom held her head and her younger brother Luke put his hands in her mouth  (Shanti's!) to try to loosen the offending item - without extracting a further tooth! Well - it seemed to be stuck fast, and I know what you are thinking - 'Why didn't they just leave it to sort of melt and detach itself?'

And with hindsight you may have a point. But at the time of the incident it is down to the man of the house to bring order where there is chaos and calm where there is panic!  By this time Shanti was already used to me trying to clean her teeth with a tooth brush and some Colgate 'Sensitive'! Hence, it seemed quite appropriate for me to use the handle of the toothbrush to perform some gentle canine dental surgery.  Alas - there was a 'deep' growl (I am still not sure if it was Shanti or her Mom!), and I have never seen three adults move so quickly in my life!  Once we had re-grouped from behind the sofa and from under a table, we decided to comfort Shanti and just let the chew dissolve - which it did. We now buy Shanti a different brand of chew which she seems to like and we feel is safer.

Shanti also likes to be rolled on her back and have her tummy tickled! Always surprises me how much she has in common with her new Mom!
But I have to be careful as on one occasion when we were kissing at the same time - her head shot forward banging my face, and I cut my nose on one of her large teeth!  I don't remember much about it, but once again I was surprised how much Shanti has in common with her new Mom!