Early this morning, we were awakened by Darwin barking at the other end of our house. Our immediate thought was that maybe he got stuck behind one of our sofas and was barking to get our attention. Instead, Keith found him in our family room, barking at the wall. For some reason, that action distresses me more than usual despite knowing that Darwin suffers from Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), similar to what we know as Alzheimer in humans. Dogs with CCD often experience various stages of confusion and disorientation, just like their human counterparts. It just breaks my heart to see Darwin wandering aimlessly around the house, easily startled by people or things around him, and looking confused as to what he should be doing next. I can’t even begin to imagine how he must be feeling himself. I hope we will be able to keep Darwin comfortable and happy for the rest of his life, and that it will be a while before he joins Max (we still miss her…our dearest baby girl).
I took this photo of Darwin almost two years ago. And yes, he almost always has this expressive look on his face. During warmer seasons, he loves to lie down in the yard and watches the busy world around him. :D
Hiking back in November at Hampton Hills Metro Park.
Darwin
Cyber
Alex – saying something to me (probably, “Hurry up, Mommy”). :D
Also back in November, we were just relaxing in our backyard.
Sorry to hear about Darwin’s CCD. He’s such a wonderful looking dog. How many dog years is Darwin now?
BTW, did you ever replace Max? I guess not, huh?
Darwin will be 15 years old this year. :D We never did replace Max since we still have the other two with us. Not sure how Cyber would be once Darwin’s no longer with us though.