Senior foxpuppies need room to wander.
I adopted Bit nine years ago. At that time I was told she was five to seven years old. While there is no way that was correct, her physical condition and energy level all these years later contradict it, I know she was at least three years old when we came together.
Applying a little math puts her age somewhere between twelve and sixteen years; regardless of where she falls within that range, one thing is unavoidably true: Bit is an old dog. She is far closer to the end of her journey than to the beginning. It hurts me to admit it but it’s true.
Over the past couple years I’ve realized that it’s important to give her as much time as possible to blunder and scrounge around her world while she is still healthy enough to do so. To that end, we’ve recently been going for weekly walks through Sauk Pairie Recreation Area, the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant.
We’ve been aware of Badger since we moved here, visiting maybe three to four times a year, but lately we’ve made a regular practice of it. It’s a place where she can run around and explore and chase her imagination as the wild mongrelpuppy she was born to be. There are no fences, no leash requirements, and few if any other people or dogs around.
It’s a blessing to have it so close. It’s a place where Bit can be Bit, unfettered.
I hope she’s with me for many more years. I don’t know what I’ll do when she decides she’s too tired to continue. I’ve considered adopting another dog to support me when that day inevitably comes, but I’ve opted against it. It wouldn’t be fair to ask Bit to share her home with her replacement and it wouldn’t be fair to ask another dog to fill the unfillable hole that Bit will one day leave behind.
Loss is part of love and I owe it to her to experience it unanesthetized when she moves on.
None of that matters just yet. She’s still in perfect health and exceedingly full of energy.
Here’s to exploring and appreciating what surrounds you while you can!
Appendices