blog.berkshirehillscobberdogs.comLife on Berkshire Hills

Farm FarmBack to Berkshire Hills Search for: Farm Posted on April 6, 2022 April 21, 2022 by suzanne The Super Senior Project Caring for our older dogs Suddenly, I took in two new senior dogs, and that’s in addition to three other seniors that grew up here, plus three younger dogs. With so many older dogs under one roof, and with the generous contributions and volunteering from the wonderful Berkshire Hills community, we have the perfect situation to find out what helps these sweet souls to: feel comfortable enjoy life stay as healthy as they can and make the final decisions about end of life. My eyes just got misty writing those last words. I’ll talk about that, too. I hope our discoveries will help you . Posted on February 18, 2023 February 18, 2023 by suzanne Our first litter of the year, Raven and Truman’s 7 babies! It’s been 5 months since we have had puppies here, so these guys are an extra blessing. It never gets old having 2-week old puppies, with eyes and ears open, wobble over to you to give you a kiss! Oh, melt. Posted on January 21, 2023 January 22, 2023 by suzanne It’s a new year It’s a new year and both Zak and Kiefer have been with me now for almost a year. Kiefer turns 15 next week. Zak and Paloma will be 15 in a few months. Zak still has a bounce in his step. Kiefer is still opinionated and strong-willed. Last week he went to the local library with his former owner and offered therapy to lots of excited children. Paloma is still a happy-go-lucky girl. All 3 of the super seniors spend more time napping. Paloma sleeps so deeply in the morning that she often doesn’t even hear me preparing their breakfast. All 3 of them are losing their hearing and sight. I will often see them staring into space like they are either in deep thought or no thought at all. That’s a topic of discussion and a source of laughter in my house. The only supplements they are taking in addition to their raw food are Dasuquin , probiotics and digestive enzymes. T he raw food provides all the pain relief, strength, and joint lubrication they need right now. This is my last post on the super seniors. I don’t want to go into the details of how they die. We know they will. But what many people ask me is how do you make that decision, when do you know it’s time? Often you hear, you will just know.” But you don’t just know until it gets to that point and it’s not always that simple. Let’s start with some questions: Is your dog in pain? (Can you manage the pain?) Is your dog aware of what’s going on? (Are they still enjoying a nap in the sun or a cuddle on the couch? Are they happy?) Can your dog still walk? (Are you able to use a support like a sling?) Is your dog incontinent? (Are you willing to use diapers, pee pads, etc.) For me, when there are a few things going on at the same time, it might be time. I kept Kipling until he had all of those things—he was in pain, incoherent, couldn’t walk, and was incontinent. I used to feel guilty for having kept him here longer than maybe he wanted. I just wasn’t ready to let go of him. I realize now that was okay. I think he was holding on to being there for me. Just know the loss can be so deeply painful, their presence is profound in our lives. They are our therapists, our unconditional love, the glue that binds our family together, the one who softens and lifts us, but most of all they are an honored and deeply loved part of our lives. Be easy on yourself and give yourself the time you need. Some people need to bring a puppy into their life right away to help heal. Some people need a long time alone to heal. The only right answer is yours. When I lost Mabel suddenly, my heart was ripped out, and the pain was palpable. Two years later I know in my heart she sent me Maeve. Maeve IS Mabel, from her wild energy and enthusiasm down to the smell of her hair. But most of all she is as intense about her love for me as Mabel was. This has helped soothe my pain. I need to love dogs, our dogs want us to keep loving, too. After all, that’s what they are all about. I am so grateful to the Berkshire Hills community who have opened their hearts to these amazing souls. You are very courageous and amazing. Thank you, Sunny (photos: Zak and I, Kiefer in his red sweater, Paloma starring at the fire, Maeve starring at me) Posted on November 5, 2022 November 5, 2022 by suzanne Seasons Change The end of summer at Berkshire Hills was delightfully alive with puppies and volunteers. There were puppies running around the playground, chasing each other through tunnels, making sleepy puppy piles on their white lamb bed. Meanwhile, Mo, my 5 month-old grew long lanky legs, and my seniors took lazy naps in the sun. Fall has now settled in. Mo’s legs grew 6 inches longer. We are buttoning down the house for colder weather, bringing in the firewood and pulling down the storm windows. Thanksgiving will be here soon. I just love Thanksgiving dinner in this house. It was built in 1790 and is such a classic New England home with stone walls bordering the fields and several big wooden barns once housing oxen and tobacco. I sometimes laugh thinking about the stories I am adding to it’s history. I fear this winter might be hard on my three seniors. They will turn 15 early February. Zak is a bit more uncertain when he walks. His gait is less coordinated. Kiefer can’t seem to keep his weight up and gets cold easily. Paloma is the same happy girl as always. When I call her into the house she stops at the threshold wagging her tail with a big smile on her face. She’s not sure what I want. My daughter describes her as, pleasantly confused.” Now that we are spending more time inside, moving through the house has become a bit of a challenge. The 2 younger ones move around like little tornadoes, twirling into me. The older ones move so slow, or don’t move at all. They just stand in the way blocking doors and pathways so I have to climb over them or gently push their butts off to the side to get by. And then there are 5 other dogs just hanging around me, waiting to see what I’m going to do next. It’s an odd dance that has no flow. But, at the end of the day, everyone settles in for a cozy night, grabbing beds where ever they can and it all flows just perfect. Well, at least until Kiefer wants something! Posted on September 5, 2022 September 5, 2022 by suzanne The Unintentional Experiment The Unintentional Experiment With all of the puppies we had this summer, I ran out of my raw food three weeks before my next order was expected to arrive. Puppies eat almost as much as adults! The next order wasn’t coming in for several weeks, so everyone had to eat kibble. Kiefer had his prescription kibble and the rest of my dogs do best on ACANA Free-Run Poultry Recipe, Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, as far as kibble goes. A couple of weeks went by and I didn’t see any significant change in any of the dogs-besides huge poops. Huh, I thought maybe the raw food wasn’t responsible for the incredible improvement I saw with the boys. Could it have been the environment or maybe just a fluke? But by the third week I noticed significant cognitive decline. Zak seemed confused and depressed, All of the older dogs responded slower. Kiefer needed to know where I was more than ever, which made me think his senses were not working as well. All of them were less engaging, but most of all both Kiefer and Zak’s hind legs were giving out. Kiefer’s legs would buckle even from just trying to get a drink of water, and Zak’s legs were splaying out from under him when he tried to get up off the floor. The boys went back to the conditions they had when they came to me in the beginning. The order of raw food came in and finally, they were back to eating one meal raw food and one meal kibble again. Within days Zak could easily get up off the floor, and Kiefer’s legs stopped shaking and collapsing. The sparkle came back and the bounce in their step was even higher than before. The boys were enthusiastically engaging...