The Old Dogs Club

On Christmas Day Mama Wordbones and I went to see Marley & Me at Snowden Square. It was the first time either of us had ever gone to the movies on Christmas Day. It was packed!

I read John Grogan’s book about his yellow Labrador two years ago while at the beach. If you are a "dog person," you'll love this book. I cried at the end.


The movie is pretty good too. I cried at the end.

I do not recommend this movie to anyone who currently has a beloved old dog in their home. You’ll cry.
We have two such aging dogs in our home. I’ve had my black Labrador for eleven and a half years and Mama Wordbones has had her Golden Retriever for thirteen. The two dogs have spent the last five years or so living together. We know that the days are limited for both of them. They show their age physically but not in spirit.

Today, I took both of them for a walk. We passed by One Eyed Jack’s house. One Eyed Jack is a black Labrador. He has one eye. One Eyed Jack is about thirteen. We were literally in his yard before he awoke and wagged his tail. His spirit is still intact too.

Then it occurred to me. We have our own old dogs club in this little corner of our neighborhood. Across the street from One Eyed Jacks house there is a twelve year old Golden Retriever named Bailey. She walks by our house every day. She still rolls over on her back like a puppy when you pet her.

The thing with dogs is that you have to walk them every day, rain or shine. Especially big dogs like Labradors and Golden Retrievers. That makes dog owner neighbors more likely to know each other. We’re out there, so to speak. We remember the dog names far sooner than the human names. Our old dogs are all buddies.

It’s going to be hard when any of these guys goes.