Cherish Each Moment

I recently found out via Facebook that one of Morey's siblings, Jasper, passed away. He apparently had cancer and when they went in to do surgery they were not able to save him. It really hit me hard because I could only imagine losing Morey so suddenly. I furloughed Jasper while he was in training and he was a big sweet gentle giant. He was placed as a service dog and had been working right up until his death. Morey will be seven in October and I am hoping we have many more years together but this reminded me to cherish each day with my special boy.

An acquaintance of mine who uses a guide dog recently retired her seven year old lab. She has been posting a lot of pictures about their "lasts"- last walks, last night together, etc. Her dog is going to live with his grandma and will have a great life but the end of a working partnership is tough. I went through that when my first service dog, Jessie, retired. She had a great life living with my mom in her retirement but it was very hard to adjust to life without her by my side each day.

People often ask when working dogs have to retire and it is really unique to each dog and partnership. The dog's health and physical ability to do the job often dictates the age when they retire or at least take on lighter duty. For example, a dog may have to give up pulling a wheelchair because of their health but could continue to retrieve objects since it is less physically demanding. Some people can adjust and have their dog change tasks while others rely heavily on their dog and don't have this option. Some dogs won't accept lighter duty and they aren't happy being left behind so full retirement is the best option.

Losing a working relationship with a service dog, whether through retirement or death, is really hard. It is like losing a part of you, a part that is good and special and completely irreplaceable. I try to cherish each day and each moment with Morey because I know it won't last forever. Even thinking about going through life without him is hard but I try not to let those thoughts ruin the relationship we have now. Sharing your life with a service dog brings joy but also, inevitably, the pain of loss.

 As Morey approaches his 7th birthday I am even more aware that our time together as a working team is limited. Seven isn't old but it isn't the young pup I still consider him to be. While I want to keep working with Morey as long as possible, I also want to respect him and his quality of life. Hard as it is, I pray I will know when it is time to set aside his vest and let him experience life as a retiree.Hopefully that is still at least a few years off but the events of the past month have made me realize how unpredictable life can be and have reminded me to cherish each day we have together.