Those Great Big, Beautiful Eyes...

I mentioned before how I was beginning to worry a tad about Ms. Ez.  She just has not been her usual old self.  As with most dogs, she loves to chase squirrels. Ms. Ez is a bird dog and being thus, she loves her birds.  I know this is not normal but, hey, whatever makes the old dog happy.  She has always chased the squirrels from the bird feeders so "her" birds had plenty to eat.  Lately, however, she has not been doing so well with her job.  She has grand intentions but once she bolts out the door towards the feeders, she loses sight of the squirrel.  Ez will then stand around looking confused as the squirrel scampers off to a nearby tree.  At first, I assumed that the summer heat was taking its toll on the old dog but now I am not so sure.  The other day, a fat raccoon was in the feeder.  I opened the door and let Ms. Ez have her fun.  She raced down the hillside to not ten feet from the feeder.  She stopped and stared at a tree.  The coon was still in the feeder and took its dear sweet time ambling down to the marsh.  Ok..that was a bit much!  Ez was becoming lazy!  Both the raccoon and the squirrels now realize that the dog is not that big of threat.  They go about their business of robbing the feeders and Ez does a grand job watching the oak tree.

The saddest discovery came yesterday morning when I was heading to the pier.  Ms. Ez raced down the hill to her assigned place to do her potty duty.  While she was gone, I hung the feeders on the branches of the Dead Tree Forest.  Once I finished, I slowly meandered down the board path to the pier.  After Ms. Ez finished her business, she raced back to the spot where she last saw me standing.  She became confused as I was not there.  Wild eyed, she looked around the hillside. It was then that I noticed the troubling fact that my dog could not see me.  Her vision must be waning fast.  Poor old Ez!  My heart sank a bit. Five minutes passed without her noticing me just thirty-five feet from her. She was about to panic!  I softly asked her if she was going with me.  Her head cocked as she listened to my voice.   Once she realized where I was, her whole demeanor changed.  Now she was happy! She barreled down the hillside to be with me.  We walked silently down to the pier.  Her happy to have found me..me in deep thought.

A bit later, we wound up at my favorite chair.  Again, I watched the old dog.  She knew squirrels were around somewhere..she could smell them!  Her head would tilt from one side to the other as she listened for the critters.  She tried hard to focus on the animals.  My old dog's eyesight was failing and there was not much I could do about it.  Now comes the hard part..how do I help her?  She is in great health otherwise but this bit of not being able to see too well, could present a problem.  Living on a Bayou, she is exposed to all sorts of dangers.  How do I protect her from the snakes, gators and coyotes?  She is so used to running free that it will definitely be a challenge.  Poor old dog..my heart aches.