They Say It's Your 15th Birthday

It's hard to believe that it has been one year since the last time we posted on Tinker's blog, but it's a very Happy 15th Birthday in our household today. If you have read the entries in this blog you know that Tinker has been through a lot in the nearly 11 years we've had him. One thing that has never changed during that time - he is the sweetest, funniest dog we have ever met.

The last year has not been without its trials and tribulations for our knight in shining tricolor. He has been battling a GI bleed and kidney disease, one or both which may have been brought on by Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Thankfully, the the kidney disease has not attacked as aggressively as it did with our Virginia.

Tinker tweaked his neck pretty badly last May and has been getting cold laser treatment once a week at our vet's office. Needless to say, he's not so happy going there any more. He didn't used to mind it. Of course, all the front office and tech staff love to see him. As a matter of fact they named him pet of the month for January.

Like a lot of aging people, Tinker is on a daily array of medications, sub-q fluids, and  sometimes it's a day long siege to get him to eat enough food. And if you have a Beagle, you know just how crazy that is. He's gone from eating anything and everything to "...let's see what's on the menu today. I'll have this, some of that, and I think I won't eat anything until the middle of the afternoon."

Despite that, he still has a very good quality of life. He wakes up happy and ready to go. He still does "zoomies", which for a dog with spinal issues, can be quite chaotic. His caboose gets a little out of control, shifting from side to side as he romps. He loves to see his buddies Austin, Lili and Lulu on his walks outside, and except for rain, he's willing to go out in any weather. It doesn't matter how cold or hot it might be.

He still licks us on the nose on an almost daily basis - there is no higher compliment from him - and snuggles with his stuffed animals in one of his (what seems like) 400 beds.

Tinker is a total joy, he brightens our lives every day with his antics, his greetings when we come home, and his outlook on life. We are blessed for every moment we have with him.