Various websites state a Doberman has a life expectancy of
10-12 years. Some mention up to 13 years. We have a miracle living with us!
Born July 2, 1999, Beth is 16, almost 16 1/2 years old! Each
day is a blessing.
Every night, I give Beth an extra bit of loving while
telling her, “Thank you for one more day.” Each morning we have, I ask her for
a sweet kiss and she complies. It’s a fabulous way to start the day!
I give continuous thanks to God for our time together.
There are lifestyle changes, and sacrifices. It’s simply
what you do when you are loving stewards of God’s gift.
Yes. There are senior issues to deal with on a daily basis.
I’ve always heard for every year of a dog’s life (large breed) is 7 to people. That
makes Beth 112 years old! Who would have thought! Certainly there will be
issues… just clean it up and continue on with life!
 |
| Made it to Vet's and back (50 mile round trip)! |
The hardest sacrifice we’ve made, since May of 2014, she’s
not been able to ride in the truck for any length of time…
That means – she cannot make the three hour trip to Dallas .
That means – one of us stays home while the other goes and
visits with family.
That means – one of us misses out on family celebrations
such as birthdays, Christmas.
That means – we deal with it.
 |
| I will give her kisses |
And, live with knowing at any minute our time together will
end.
My heart will never be ready.
UPDATE: It's hard to even write the words, but we had to help Beth cross the Rainbow Bridge on March 5, 2016 at 4:10 p.m.. Although not on this earth, she will be forever in our hearts.
UPDATE: It's hard to even write the words, but we had to help Beth cross the Rainbow Bridge on March 5, 2016 at 4:10 p.m.. Although not on this earth, she will be forever in our hearts.
❤️🐾😇
ReplyDelete;) Valerie!
DeleteYou have a beautiful girl! I have 2 seniors and they are worth the sacrifices for all that they give us.God bless you and Beth with many more beautiful days ahead.<3 Merry Christmas!
DeleteJust saw your blog now. What a beautiful story of your girl. So bless that you have her for over 16 years. May mine live as long ...
DeleteThank you!
DeleteI pray your furbabies do as well!
Precious time....definitely a blessed gift!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dobe Vick!
DeleteIt is precious.
I am grateful.
Senior Dobermans are the best!
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed, Wry!
DeleteBesides Beth, we have our "baby" Anna that will be 7 in January! That's almost a senior!
We've had five dobies. We are down to one sweet girl. Tonight our 16 yr old min pin will cross over the bridge. Our heart is braking but we still have our dobie , 12.6 yr old Scarlett. Counting our blessings.
ReplyDeleteOh, my. I am so sorry to read you lost your 16 yr old min pin last night. It's so hard. I know. I've been there three times already with our other dobies. Lifting you and your family up in prayer.
DeleteGive Scarlett some extra scratches underneath her chin from Beth.
So wonderfu! She looks amazing
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathie!
DeleteAwesome!!! Our heart is happy and sad at the same time!! We only got 11 years with ours and yes every day was a blessing. She is a living testament to her blood lines and the fabulous love and care you have given her!! God bless your family!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jason.
DeleteI know what you mean... we've had 3 others that left us too soon. We've had two to almost make it to ten, then another at six.
Our "baby" ~ Anna ~ will turn 7 in January! I know she's played a huge role in keeping Beth active!
My Izzy was 16 when she passed on and everyday was a blessing!!! I wish you blessings and long love filled days with your dobergirl♡
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nicole.
DeleteI know you know the daily blessings we experience.
Love her picture! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMine is almost 14. She just recently went blind in both eyes and mostly deaf. It's so hard to get her to go out to go to the bathroom but she very rarely messes inside. It's so hard at this stage to know what's the right thing to do. I can't stand the thought of being without her but it's hard watching her bump into things and she doesn't do much of anything but eat and sleep. The vet says she has a strong heart.
ReplyDeleteOh, Mary.
DeleteI am so sorry your girl is now blind and hard of hearing. Bless her heart. After reading your comment, I went straight to google (as I'm sure you did as well) and searched for helpful tips. This is good for me as well since Beth also has sight issues. Our clapping of hands (to direct her this way or that) is not working as well as it did even a month ago.
http://www.blinddogrescue.com/aboutblinddogs/blinddogtips.html
I've always moved furniture around every 3 - 4 months, but now I don't/won't because Beth does know where things are (if she remembers).
I know this is a new life challenge and adjustment for you both. My prayers are with you.
God has kept your dobe for you, God bless you for taking such good care of her. I am on my 3rd one now, a 15 month old handful girl and and enjoy her to pieces.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pamela!
DeleteI totally agree... it is God's plan and by His grace we still have Beth in our lives!
How sweet, I can surely understand. we had a Labrador that lived to be just 3 months shy of his 21st birthday. We loved him and we were not ready for him to go when he did. We also made sure he had the care he needed and if that meant missing out on life event, well so be it. We currently have a 14 year old lab, a 9 year old Doberman and 8 year old Doberman. I hope that all of ours live for many years to come. Bless you for giving her such a great life, I truly believe that love makes them last! -William Turner
ReplyDeleteThank you, William!
DeleteI hope/pray your furbabies live for many more years!
My redboy is 20 months old and I watch him play and run and absolutely love to be loved on. When we take on this responsibility we also sign up for heartache somewhere far down the road. May God continue to bless your sweet girl, Beth ♡
ReplyDeleteThank you! It is a loving responsibility and is worth the heartache we'll eventually endure. By the grace of God, He will get us through.
DeleteI stumbled across this, and it made me smile and tears roll. I lost my doberman , Merry Ann in July at 14 1/2. It was hard. .. so hard. It's so nice to know others love like that too. I hope she stays healthy and strong up to the very end. I was so fortunate that my girl played with toys just a couple of days before losing her. Big hugs.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michelle!
DeleteI'm so sorry for your loss of Merry Ann. It is hard. I know first hand.
Beth is #4, and we have our "baby" Anna (will be 7 in January)!
Two of the three before died in my arms. Such heartbreak.
But, their unconditional love throughout their lives - however short or long (one was only 6 when she crossed Rainbow Bridge) - makes it so worthwhile.
I don't think I could/would have a happy life without sharing it with a Dobie girl.
Sending hugs back to you.
But why? Does she pee in??
ReplyDeleteShe has had a couple of accidents, but no big deal.
DeleteShe's "forgotten" how to ask to go outside, so we must monitor her needs very closely... like when she was a puppy - after eating, every 2 hours (during the day), etc...
Once she's up in the morning, she needs to walk around a bit to get her body moving before even attempting to go outside, and down/up the 4 steps! Again, no big deal, just what loving parents do! ;)