One of the greatest things that ever happened to me was the introduction of Nadi, my Shih-Tzu mix dog into my life. I didn't expect to get her but one day I came home from work and my now ex-girlfriend had decided to take her on as a rescue dog. I wasn't thrilled about this notion at the time because I am very aware of how long dogs live and at first I was a little upset with my girlfriend for doing this without consulting me first.
Now I can't imagine my life without her (the dog that is, the girlfriend has not been a part of my life for years.)
This photo was back when she was just a baby... around 1 year old. We do not know exactly when she was born and her birthday was just something we guessed at. Most of the time dogs are very difficult to train but Nadi was a very well-behaved dog already when we got her. So much in fact that I have a difficult time understanding why it is that anyone would ever get rid of her.
She is approaching her 9th birthday and we have been through a lot together. We have moved to a new house 7 times since then, and she has handled the changes with relative ease.
Of course when the change to a new house involved being in this crate, she absolutely hated it. So much so in fact, that to this day she avoids going to the corner of my apartment that the crate is contained in.
I went a bit nuts over the years with the toys and to be honest, she doesn't need them but I just can't help myself when I see something cute at the pet store. I have to get it for her even though she already has a lot of them and doesn't even play with many of them at all. She also has 5 beds and I realize this is overkill. Her favorite bed is one that I originally bought as a hat when i was out drunk one night.
These days I worry a bit with each year that passes because although there are a lot of factors at play, Shih-Tzus have an expected lifespan of 12-14 years. I know that the clock is ticking and it is going to be a very sad day when the inevitable happens and she is no longer a part of my life.
This was her 2nd birthday, nearly 7 years ago
I always tell people that Nadi is the best and the worst thing to ever happen to me in Asia. The best because she is my pal, and we do everything together. The worst because she severely complicates most things in my life because I live alone and can't just run off with my pals on a 3 day vacation somewhere. I refuse to put her into kennels because I have seen how miserable she is when she is in them.
I try not to think about the fact that she will have to go to the great doggy bed in the sky before too long, but until that day comes I plan on taking advantage of every single moment I have with her.
I was just thinking about you and your dog the other day. We had to take our old lady to the vet for her annual checkup. She needed the works and they ended up talking us into a lot of other stuff too. Blood work etc. Since we have never had it done to her we figured why not. If they were able to detect something early then it might give her some more years. Final bill for the whole trip... $600. I knew you would appreciate that given how cheap vet bills were in Thailand.
Yeah, I don't miss that about the US. Vet bills were less than human doctor bills by a long shot but still kicked you in the pants every time you took your dog in for anything you are staring down the barrel of a several hundred dollar trip.
I took Nadi in for annual vaccination shots and some deworming tablets a few months ago and also asked them to cut her nails - which I am afraid to do after that dreaded day that I cut them myself and broke the quick in two of her toes.
The total bill was around $7
$7! That is amazing!
A dog is a big responsibility and why I am not keen to replace what we have currently when that time arrives. I know at some point there will be a move involved to another country and having 2 parrots is enough as they are for life and will outlive me for sure.
Parrots? What a cool pet. Probably really difficult to transport from country to country though or who knows, maybe the process is the same as it is with dogs?
I remember reading that parrots live a very very long time which is pretty amazing considering how small they are. Any idea what the lifespan of a parrot is, generally?
They live as long as humans do which is quite weird and why they outlive their owners. I bought my Grey in the UK and returned him to Africa via quarantine at Heathrow. 3 months spent next to a Macaw and they were a nuisance as phones were ringing constantly mixed in with noises of them replicating jet engines. Max the Grey has lost that part of his repertoire now but seriously was cool having planes take off in your lounge. The Macaw I got here and one of my mates is a world known breeder of rare birds and looks after breeds for certain countries having airs like Noah's Ark. If I move they will go to him and he will handle them to send overseas. Maybe I need to do a post about his facility as it is unreal and it literally is a private Avery that takes hours to walk around as it is that large.