Playful and Young At Heart Senior Dog


Did you know?
A dog is considered a senior in the last 25% of their expected lifespan. I am a golden retriever with a life expectancy of 10-12 years old. I was considered a senior dog when I was about 7 1/2 years old. Woof! Woof! Extra Golden Happy that I am exceeding the life expectancy years. I’ve shared reasons WHY on my previous post Being A Senior Dog.

Senior Dog Playful and Young At Heart: Sugar The Golden Retriever

At the park, a conversation always occurs between mom and park goers/fellow dog owners. “Wow, your dog has lots of energy. What kind of dog and how old?” is the common statement and questions we get.

Many are unsure what’s my breed due to my size and very surprised to know that I am a Golden Retriever. Most of the people we’ve encountered are at awe on how much energy I have and amazed how I could out run their young pup.

I ‘m a Senior Dog, Playful and have a Young Golden Heart.

5 Typical/Untypical Qualities of a Senior Dog

1) As a senior dog, have I slowed down? Obviously, no. I still show lots of energy. I enjoy a good long run/walk. other options are fun play of fetch and stair climb, race to the top. A Golden Swim is my favorite energy burner. Creative ways to release my Golden Energy is regularly on my mom’s mind.

2) As a senior dog, have I gotten whiter? YES, its a bit obvious that my Golden Face has gotten whiter. For some it is confusing because of the way I move and many would ask about my breed and “Why does your dog have a white face?”

3) As a senior dog, do I get tired more quickly? It depends on the weather. Warm/hot weather makes me tired easily. One reason I do most of my activities in the morning or late/early evenings. Most senior dogs sleep a lot. Do I? I do take lots of short naps which energizes me. There are times that I’m guilty that I’m not fully aware of being tired and need my mom’s assessment. I do have a tendency to overly “play” and need to be monitored, asked to rest and drink water.

4) As a senior dog, do I seem to ignore when being called? Golden LAUGHS! I’m guilty that there are times I pretend that I’m loosing my hearing … and suddenly can hear if a tasty delish treat is spoken.

5) As a senior dog, do I get “moody” and/or get easily upset? I do get very “moody” if I’m not given a “banana” dessert after a meal. I do bark a lot and Golden Demand a banana. As I aged, mom says I got braver. I’m open to exploring new environments and loud noises are not so bothersome as when I was a young pup.

Golden Happy To Be Playful Senior Dog Young At Heart: Sugar The Golden Retriever

I am Golden Proud to Be a Happy Playful Senior Dog and Young At Heart.

Lots of Golden L♥VE n Woofs
SUGAR

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Comments

  1. Goose says

    Hahhhaha My MOM gets lots of those same questions. Especially when I out run the young ones. I too am young at heart, happy and playful. People are surprised, no they are shocked that I am 13 and a half.
    Blessings,
    Goose

  2. Daisy says

    We have two pups we play with at the river….one’s fourteen and the other fifteen. They have slowed down but are still ready to join in, or do their own things.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

  5. Abby Dabby Doo says

    I am senior dog young at heart too and love long walks with my daddy. For a couple weeks though, we can’t go as far and have to take it a bit slower because he’s recovering from surgery. I know how that is from when I had to have that done. People are often surprised when they find out I am 9–some even call me puppy! Have a fun day! Woof! Woof!

  6. urban hounds says

    Very cool post. We have three seniors here too. Ive noticed lately Tubby is less tolerant of long walks and much less tolerant of heat. Norbert has arthritis so we have to be careful how far he walks. Both have good hearing. As for the moodiness the only thing I hve noticed is Norbert no longer enjoys the dog park, he just doesnt like too many young wild dogs about

    urban hounds

  9. MadSnapper says

    I believe dogs are like people, the more you exercise the more energy you have… and you exercise a lot.

  13. Oz the Terrier says

    Sugar,
    You sure are playful and young at heart! I think when one becomes a senior dog, it is more about how you feel than just the silly number. If you feel happy and young, then you will act that way…though I agree that at any age, a dog should get “moody” if not given a proper dessert after a meal. BOL
    *Cairn cuddles*
    Oz

  15. emma says

    Mom says my sister has gotten much better behaved as she has aged. She says she can actually trust Katie most of the time, something she couldn’t do in her younger years. I think as long as you are healthy and stay in an active lifestyle you can have a great senior time as a dog! You rock, Sugar…you and Katie together would be almost too much!

  20. Molly The Wally says

    Sugar we loved your let’s pretend to be deaf one. Ha ha we have to try that on peeps when I don’t want to do something. Have a marvellous senior Monday.
    Best wishes Molly

  22. Comedy Plus says

    Our Little Bit will be 11 in October and she’s slowed down a lot. She’s still healthy, but she’s not as active as she used to be. We don’t push her. She does what she wants on our walks and that’s it.

    Have a woof woof day Sugar. My best to your mom. 🙂

  23. Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom says

    Sugar, you and your Mom are PAWSOME!! Since Callie’s TPLO surgery, I’ve had to limit her exercise to 15 minutes several times a day; but she and Shadow don’t mind too much since they both have some mild-to-moderate hip dysplasia. And with this miserably hot, muggy, buggy summer we’ve had, I cut back on the time outside. Most of the summer we stayed inside and played with the soft, squishy Chuck-it balls. As it starts cooling off a bit — and the bugs start going into hibernation — we’ll play outside more. The important thing is to keep them both healthy and happy. Ducky helps me to keep them young at heart…especially since she is getting so much better at playing nicely!

  27. Pam | Words With Wieners says

    Hi Sugar! What a pawsome post on being a senior dog. You are the perfect model for senior dogs everywhere.
    I’m surprised that people ask what breed you are. To me, you are clearly a gorgeous Golden. And about the white face? Most senior dogs get white faces… it’s very common. Perhaps some of the people you encounter just haven’t been around many senior dogs. I think it’s beautiful and call it “frosty face”.
    Haha on #4 and #5. The idea of a you “demanding” a banana is so cute and funny. But I know how much you love them.

    P.S. I am so very behind on visiting and commenting. But I just got caught up on all your posts! And yes, we did receive the painting. Thank you so much to you and Sheila! I will try to get a good picture of it so I can share it on the blog this week.

  28. sprinkles says

    My boys will be seven at the end of the month. It makes me sad to see them getting older, but then I remember I’m lucky enough to have 7 years of memories with Shiver and five with Chico.

  31. Dawn says

    Sweet! I think #4 is typical at any age. 😀 You’ve aged very well, Sugar. I hope I have at least half your energy when I’m a senior.

  40. Jan K says

    I love how active and happy you are, Sugar. I think our senior Beagle also has what we call “selective hearing”. He really is getting deaf though, but he definitely hears things he wants to, like the treat bag! But when he’s out in the yard being called to, he pretends he can’t hear us (we can’t be sure if he really does or not!
    I love your white face. Our golden Sheba started turning white at a very young age, probably 6 or 7. I hope she will be as healthy and happy as you are when she reaches your age!

  41. Idaho PugRanch says

    When our beloved Char Shu was close to 17 yrs old and his black pug mask was pretty much white, a lady said to us
    “I did not know there where white pugs” I told her he used to be very black , but he was now quite the senior dog. He did not slow down till that last year
    hugs
    Bailey, Hazel & Greta

  42. Kitties Blue says

    We think that all that good loving you get from your human probably keeps you young as well. Purrs and hugs, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

  43. sweetmarie says

    So sorry we missed this post!!! You look young and beautiful!!! The tennis ball is one of our favorites!! 🙂

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