Eastern Suburbs Dog Training Club

The Club recently lost 2 of our older dogs to cancer, Claire Scivyer’s Indy and Julia Batty’s Milly.  Members may not have been so familiar with Indy (though there is a wonderful photo of her in the Sleeping Dogs Album on the Club’s Facebook page), but many Adult Dog Beginners’ Class graduates will remember Milly as Julia’s demo dog.

My own demo dog, Harry, is now 12 ½ years old and recently appeared to be on his last legs, too, literally! He wouldn’t get off his bed in the morning and when he did struggle to stand, he collapsed in the doorway. If I helped him up, he whimpered in pain and dragged his hind legs lamely behind him.

Thankfully for Harry and me visits to the Vet, anti-inflammatory pills and a warm coat resolved what appears to have been a painful flare-up of arthritis. Yet for a while there, I was contemplating losing Harry, like Indy and Milly, and many other Club Members’ older dogs over the past 12 months.

People buy puppies because they’re cute and fun to play with, the puppy grows up and becomes a troublesome dog and then it grows old and becomes expensive! Harry was fun as a puppy, his training helped with the “troublesome years” and he’s worth every cent spent nowadays to fix his ailments.

I know there will be sorrow with Harry one day, as there’s been for Claire, Julia and other Club Members. For now I’m thankful there’s joy in my old dog!
Robert Fairhead, Club President