Share a picture and a story of Lady

She's doing okay.  As many of you know, my sidekick Lady has been slowing down a bit over the last couple of years.  Especially this past year where many a day she ends up in the backyard sleeping outside from morning and into the night if I would let her.  Rolling from side to side and sunbathing on a crisp 40 degree day sleeping and dreaming of the many days of fun she has had on the three golf courses I've managed during her time.  A bit of sadness has crept into my subconscious for the fact that she is not with me everyday.  Inevitably as we all face with our pets, the time is coming.  I hope not right now but  it is coming.  She's slowed in part from her age which is hovering between 13-14 and too many hand fed meals from me guilty as charged.

Last fall/early winter, I noticed her hearing was not as good.  Some say selective which is true of all of us but in her case it was becoming real.  If I was not in front of her and she would have difficulty locating where I was.  She would look out in front of her and I was coming up from behind.  She also experienced her first yeast infection in the ears and the material that I treated her with to my dismay could and did create deafness.  No warning from the vet, pretty upsetting that I pushed along this condition but did not think I would be given something harmful to my animal and not be warned of potential problem.  Well, the long of this story is she still likes to come to work every few days, still likes to roam to the pro shop and up and around the kitchen if I don't watch her close enough.  The day that I think she can barely get up I have to go up to Wallingford and pick her up walking along the side of the road.  She seems to be hearing loud noises pretty well but cannot hear you talking to her unless you are face to face.  I don't think she hears your voice, I think she look in your eyes and knows that you care.  She still loves attention and knows a few golf bags have treats stored for her.  Memory like an elephant!

I ran across this picture on my home computer that I had not seen for a while that I thought I might share.  This was one Saturday or Sunday evening at Spencer T. going out for a little drive.  As you can see by her physique, she is in studette shape.  During her best days, she was easily a 10 mile runner, walker and hunting fool at about 55 pounds.  Her first morning duties would be to run the 6.5 miles it took to mow greens in the first 2 1/2 hour of the morning.  Sometimes she would get sidetracked by a squirrel, raccoon  groundhog, muskrat, deer, turkey, and goose.  Ok, you get the picture, she loved to hunt animals.

I know this is a little sappy for some but for those of you with animals you understand what I am expressing.  She has spent more time with me over the last 13 years, morning, noon and night.  Patiently waiting in my office while I'm at a meeting.  Getting up at 4 a.m. and coming home at 9 p.m. with not even a whimper or complaint.  Sometimes just a big sigh that she is tuckered out.

Lady

 trusted friend and protector of the properties I've managed.