Jewel's on a hiatus, because my uncertain work schedule doesn't allow me to make a commitment to therapy dog activity for the time being. So I'm posting an entry about her big sister, Phoebe.

You've met Phoebe in my past blogs. She's a sweet, trim and leggy, black German Shepherd and Who-Knows-What-Maybe-Schnauzer mix. Phoebe has always had a few streaks of silver in her black coat, what we call salt and pepper. There's more of the silver this year. She's going on twelve years old.

I've also noticed a few changes in her behavior. Normally, she charges toward me from any corner of the yard or house when I call her name. Lately, I've had to do a little searching and calling her from a closer range to get a response. I've pretty much concluded that her lack of a charging recall is not due to aches and pains, but a probable decline in hearing. I plan to monitor it for a while, and have our vet check her next time we go in for shots.

In the past, Phoebe had no problem bounding down the stairs at our command to go outside. For the past few weeks, she's been a bit clumsy, even stumbling on the tile steps down from the kitchen. Never actually seeing her fall, or lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, I did hear occasional crashing and bumping during her descent. It should have been a clue for me to do something for her sooner.

Last Thursday, she came to a halt at the top of the stairs, and refused with all my coaxing to come down. I let her out the front door this time, and told Bob we had a problem. Lucky for her, we had an old area rug rolled up in the garage that Bob hadn't gotten around to throwing out yet. He cut it into pieces for the steps, to give Phoebe some traction. I tried in vain again to coax her down once the carpet was on the steps. So I gave up trying, and took her out front and around the house to come inside the back door. That gave her a chance to take the steps up rather than down the first time. She stepped softly, but arrived at the top victorious. Her first time down was still cautious, but she seemed delighted to have re-gained her freedom. I'm not sure of the cause of her stumbling, if it's coordination or vision. That will need to be answered by our veterinarian, Dr. Gardner.

My second photo shows the carpeted steps. Aging can be dangerous if you're not able to communicate your fears and needs to those who can help. Please watch your dogs as they approach the senior years. A little change in behavior can mean something needs to be adapted for them. After all the years of friendship they give our families, they deserve to be treated with dignity and care as they age.