Online experts appear to agree that it is possible to teach an old dog new tricks.
Apparently they are correct.
To our great relief, our senior canine has mastered new habits. He has done it on his own, in reality providing a good example to his also aging owners.
We had fretted about taking the mixed breed who entered our lives from an animal shelter to confinement in a second-floor apartment. But we had no choice as we moved from our rural property in Mason County. For his previous dozen years with us he had lived outdoors in a spacious pen. Additionally he had a couple long walks with us on a country road every day.
We had acquired him in hopes he would serve as a watchdog of sorts for us, as we had but one neighbor house close enough to see, and then only when leaves were off the trees.
Bogie, named for his Humphrey Bogart-like grin, filled the bill admirably. He alerted us every time a vehicle came down our long driveway. Of course he also let us know about every deer, rabbit, turkey, opossum, raccoon, dog or cat that took the path through the trees or dared wander on to the lawn. Or the donkey that for few weeks wandered in on a more or less daily basis. And there was a pygmy goat frightened by Bogie's barking that climbed to the deck and stood frightened on the wood box.
But we were convinced that this dog was not a quick learner. He didn't appear to have ever been house trained nor have any inclination toward the efforts we made. We suspect he was about a year old when we acquired him.
At any rate, we were apprehensive about how to house train him at this point in his life.
Surprise! Somehow, he figured it all out by himself with only one accident on the apartment's polyurethane-type living room floor, one I quickly cleaned up.
Instead, when he feels the need, or simply restless, he meanders to the hallway door. It's a sure sign that it is time to change to outdoor footwear, hat, jacket if needed and grab the leash.
In the first couple weeks here I was apprehensive - very apprehensive. I made middle of the night forays with Bogie, fearful he wouldn't make it to morning. After all, I reasoned, for a dozen years he had only to leave his comfortable dog house and trot out to the fenced area for relief.
I'm still generally the earliest dog owner in this two-building, 85-unit apartment complex to be out in the early morning.
That's fine with me. Just glad it gets light earlier now.
And like his aging owners, Bogie is showing other signs of getting older. He's generally slower. His hearing is greatly diminished. We had noticed it before we moved from our rural home, as he would alert us to visitors only if he was awake and watching. He didn't hear approaching vehicles.
Now it's an advantage. He doesn't hear the other apartment-dwelling dogs on their balconies who yip as he passes. He doesn't bark, and bark, and bark in response as he once would have.
He no longer can hop into our vehicle, but fortunately he has always liked to ride. He did well on the trip from Mason County. We just have to help him in now.
This week we face yet another challenge, both for Bogie and for us. We are scheduled to get the keys to our two-bedroom residence in a retirement community. It's a pleasant two-bedroom unit on a corner lot.
We have downsized, leaving behind long-time possessions.
Now like Bogie, who will have be facing different accommodations for the second time in two months, we face major adjustments of living with less and in less spaces.
He has shown he can adjust. A great example for us.
Contact writer Evadna Bartlett at evadna@wvgazettemail.com