Angela

Angela is such a fascinating senior lady.  She reminds me of Angela Lansbury in Murder She Wrote.  Like Ms. Lansbury, Angela is an attractive, active and vibrant senior who is interested in everything around her.  I imagine she solves many mysteries a day.

Angela is closing in on 13 years old and she has multiple medical problems but she meets each morning with anticipation of what is going to happen today.  If anything is going on she wants to be part of it.  Her personality is a combination of wanting to be close and wanting to be independent.  Sometimes on walks she will make up her mind that she wants to go investigate something in someone’s yard, or I suspect that she thinks if she can just get in someone’s house – and then get them in the kitchen – she has a good chance of getting a treat.

The Maasai warriors in Africa believe that they own all the cattle in the world.  If they find a cow, they take it as their own.  Angela believes that she owns all the food in the world.  When we first got her I had to carry her around while I fed the dogs in other rooms.  I soon learned it was easier to just feed her first.  After she finishes her food she goes looking for any other food that might be available. When it’s treat time everyone has to be on their toes, as Angela will snatch a treat out of the air on its way to someone else.

Angela’s many health problems have been addressed since she has been an Old Dog Haven Final Refuge dog.  She has a kidney problem that is being monitored, though she’s now on a special diet and her kidney values are currently normal.  She has a condition called syncope which means she can suddenly faint–it can look like she suddenly fell over and stopped living. Fortunately, she recovers fairly quickly but this means she can’t be put under anesthesia for dental work.

This girl still manages to bustle around, wanting to know what is going on anywhere and everywhere.  When I clean the floor, I find paw prints.  When we tiled a room recently, we found paw prints in the mortar. I’m currently painting the deck and I noticed she had a little speck of paint on her nose!  She is a wonderful, quirky old girl.  We are so thankful to Old Dog Haven for the amazing care she receives!