During their twilight years, our dogs start to slow down, but we still do everything we can to ensure that they are comfortable and happy. But one family went above-and-beyond for their old dog, and rearranged their sleep schedules to ensure he was well taken care of.
Like many dogs his age, Spike is having trouble getting around. He recently suffered a second stroke, which affected his ability to climb stairs.
Spike, who has spent many nights in bed with his family since he was a puppy, was unable to do one of his favorite activities: sleeping.
“The first night we had him, we closed the stair gate and went to bed,” Spike’s owner Catherine Morris told The Dodo. “He whined for a couple of minutes before jumping over the gate in the dark and trotting up into my parents’ room and straight up onto the bed! And that’s where he slept from then on.”
His family had to block off the stairs because Spike kept trying to reach his favorite spot, even though his bedroom was on the second floor.
Their solution instead was to come downstairs and sleep with Spike if he couldn’t come up and live with them. To ensure the old dog still gets company, the family members rotate spending the night with Spike on the pull-out couch, set it up on a rotating basis.
It wasn’t a surprise to Catherine when she returned from university to find her parents’ new sleeping arrangements – they have always been close to Spike and they always have been.
“They’re absolutely inseparable,” Catherine told The Dodo. “My dad calls him ‘old bean’ and they’re always chatting away.” “My dad will also bring Spike his water and food to the sofa and feed him by hand to make sure he gets his medicines and keeps his strength up.”
Despite his age, it is evident that his family still loves him just as much as they did when he was a pup.
As a result of their selfless act, they have made it clear that they are prepared to put everything they have in their power to make Spike’s final years the best they can be.
“We love our old boy so much and are so glad to have him in our lives,” Catherine said. “Hopefully, we have made up for his not so good start in life by providing all the love in the world.”
Taking care of an older dog is not an easy task, but this family went to great lengths to make him happy.
