Today is a big day, but as we celebrate I am plagued with “how can it be tens years already” question. Through loving eyes I see my girl as the amazing dog she has become. She is a very, very special girl. Elsa came to us as a very confident little 8 week old puppy with oodles of personality.
Many people say “oh, like the movie Frozen” when introduced to Miss Elsa. And me being me, I always have to correct them saying “no this Elsa came first.” :)
Elsa has had quite the life, filled with family and friends. At 8 weeks of age she was the #4 in the dog pack here. There was Jessie, Tilley and Luke as resident senior dogs; and she surely brought young life back into our home. She very quickly lost both the matriarch of the pack leaving just Luke as her companion for three more years.
I have never seen such a love story as Luke and Elsa’s and when he passed in January of 2015 she was left alone until Riggs arrival in 2019. But Elsa has had many good friends to fill her need for “canine companionship” over the years. Her very best friend is Yogi the Golden Retriever, she adores him. In the human department Elsa gained 5 grandbabies over 5 years who she is obsessed with. Like Elsa’s love for puppies, she loves small babies the most. Which is why I dubbed her Nanny dog years ago. She is the quintessential caregiver of everything.
One and a half years ago Elsa was stricken with a spinal stroke which left her with a bum back leg. She didn’t let that stop her; she’s one tough and determined girl. Now into her golden years she has recently had an acl tear; her stroke, bum leg and athletic drive set her up perfect storm style to tear it. But she is resilient and she will heal; things will have to change, we will have to slow her down whether she likes it or not. She also suffers from acid reflux which many of us do; we are working through it with great success.
We’re all going in the same direction, everyone is getting older and sometimes it doesn’t seem fair. Getting old is a privilege that many don’t get, we are lucky. Elsa loves her life as much as we love her. At her happiest she is lying in the middle of the living room floor, digging and licking the carpet and wagging her tail on her side. The sound of her thumping tail gives me a heads up as to what she’s doing. It is a sight that brings me much happiness. She is a pure joy, one that I adore with all of my heart. A very happy 10th Birthday to this amazing one of a kind, Elsa.