Having senior animals is a part of farm life, at least eventually. Now that I’m approaching seven years on the farm I’m rapidly moving into having senior animals. Luca, my farm guard dog, is over six now. He has another good year or two before he reaches retirement age. Currently, that fact is weighing heavily on me. Do I proceed with getting another dog for Luca to teach? Do I want that additional commitment? If I stick with farm life – which I’d like to – I’ll have to have another farm guard dog. Their services are worth their weight in gold but I’ve decided to kick that can down the road a bit longer.
Then there’s my little city dog, Kahuna. He’s been with me through thick and thin. This month he turned 16! I got Kahuna after my first miscarriage. It was a desperate attempt to fill the void in my heart that my baby and subsequent divorce had left. Kahuna has been the longest commitment of my life, so far. He’s been my constant companion whether I was on a bicycle, at the beach (he has his own life vest), traveling on a plane or boat or moving locations – like to this farm. To this day, anytime I leave for a trip, Kahuna gets in my suitcase:
He was extremely healthy until the past year. I’ve really noticed his gradual decline. He has terrible cataracts that impede his sight but he still gets around, runs around the house he knows so well, and occasionally walks into a wall. He’s mostly deaf but can still smell well enough to know when a bag of snacks has been opened. I mean, look at this face:
Despite his obvious decline he still seems happy and, fortunately, not in pain – and he still loves to travel with me:
I suppose the point of all this is that I didn’t really think about my animals getting old when I planned for this farm. I’ve learned how important a good diet is to all the animals but especially the senior ones. Diet isn’t the only issue, of course. Many require special efforts and attention that there’s no way to plan for. Which means those times I have to leave for any length of time I have to find caring farm sitters who have patience and respect for any of the animals but especially the senior ones…not an easy task.
For those people who follow me because they eventually want a homesteading or hobby farm kind of life, this is something to factor into your plans. Senior animals can break your heart but few things are worse than having to leave them to the care of others. Something to think about for you single pringles out there. 
