Sparklers: Chasing Junebug
When we first brought Junebug home, she was only 6 months old and filled with puppy energy. We had to take a walk every day and still spend time playing with her. If we did not take a walk, it would take close to an hour of chase, fetch, and wrestling to wear her out. She has been our Baby Bug for 10 ½ years now. She is starting the Beagle fade. She spends more time sleeping than getting into mischief (though she still gets into plenty of mischief).
Dogs slow down as they get older. It is a good thing as they grow out of the frenetic puppy stage into adulthood. It is slightly sadder as they move into their senior years. And at 11 years old, Junebug does qualify as a senior dog. But…
Here in the pandemic world, I generally take the dogs on three walks a day – two short walks around the block (15-20 minutes each) and one longer walk of 30-40 minutes. Larry is ready for every walk. Often, he reminds me that it is time for a walk. I have to wake Junebug up, every single time. She ponders if a walk is worth waking up for. She stretches and takes her time coming out to the living room to be leashed.
You would think that if we missed one of our walks, Larry would be a little crazy, but Junebug would just sleep on and not even notice. But it is the exact opposite. Once Larry realizes there will not be another walk for the day, he just settles. However, if Junebug does not ger her three walks a day, at the end of the day, she is extra mischievous. She wants to play, specifically to be chased. And there are few things in my life that bring as much joy as watching her scramble along our laminate floors as fast as she can, waiting to get to one of the throw rugs where she stops and goes into her play bow, waiting for us to approach before she runs off to do another circuit of the kitchen, the dining room, or living room. Sure, she only needs to be chased for five minutes or so now before she is tired enough to settle, but I love that she still needs to be chased, that she still wants to play.
