The "Old Folks' Home for Critters"

  Ms. Ez, the old Bayou Dog is nigh on ten years old. She is starting to feel her age a lot recently.  The dog does a lot of sleeping.  On occasion, it behooves her to move around a bit which usually just to run down the hill to do her business.  Now if I head to the pier, she is eager to follow since she expects a handout of menhaden.  Whereas she used to be able to play fetch endlessly, that has been reduced to four or five tosses.  The ball is then "kept" and the game is over.  This is fine since I have a lot to keep me busy and playing fetch all day just adds to my duties.  I have noticed other signs of aging or perhaps it is just defiance. She is set in her ways and refuses to part from them but these "ways" are irritating to say the least.  Let the old dog find one stinky, smelly thing in the entire yard and she will be covered.  Ugh!  I have washed her more times than I wish.  So, I figure the answer to that is to let her sleep.  Sleeping dogs do not seek out putrid mounds of yuck!

  Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, (aka cat) is also getting up there in age.  It won't be long before she reaches the grand old age of eighteen.  She, also, is sleeping more and wants to be inside most of the time. In the past when inside, she would hang around the kitchen but here lately, she has moved into the same room as the old dog.  They are far from being friends but at least there is a mutual tolerance of one another. Inside, she does not have to worry about the young, whippersnapper of a cat, Ms. Nycto.  Those two cannot see eye to eye on anything and with the age difference and the weight difference, Ms. Put was starting to be highly stressed.  Inside, she has peace from Nycto, any stray cats and the coyotes.  

  I came through the living room this morning to find both of the old animals snoozing.  I could not help snickering a bit about my "Old Folks' Home" for pets.  It seems that I am running a nursing home for critters now.  I petted both and murmured an assurance that I would care for them in these their later years just as I have always done.  They would have good food, clean water and peaceful rest. Hopefully, the animals understood my words and could rest a bit easier just knowing that someone cared.  They deserve it.