63 thoughts on “Pumpkin Standing On My Foot”

  2. All her legs? 😦 I well remember the time when our Chiquita was losing tghe use of one of her hind legs. As difficult as it was for her when she struggled to get up on all fours, she always tried to. And, believe it or not, she easily managed when she could chase one of our cats. 😉
    I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Pumpkin!

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  4. Oh, Mike she is so beautiful And sweet.
    My little guy Tide is nearly ten but still a baby here. He had to have a lump removed earlier in the year so it is a concern. I hope your Fine companion is has many good years ahead. She is a gorgeous creature

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  5. Pumpkin looks so precious! My dog Bear is having some problems with his hind legs too when he tries to get up. We want our babies to live forever! I love all your photos of Pumpkin! Keep smiling Pumpkin! Hugz Lisa and Bear

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    • Pumpkin remains as sweet as ever but has less energy and is definitely feeling her age. German Shepards are prone to degenerative myelopathy . I just want you to know.
      Yes, I do want Pumpkin to live forever, or at least for another few years.

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    • Yeah, we have a beautiful thing going on, albeit bittersweet at this time. She may hang in there for a spell. This got bad in early June and she is doing better than I would have guessed three months later.
      Thanks, Dor.

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  7. She could not be more beautiful, Mike. This must have been a difficult diagnosis to hear. I’m so sorry. We found a harness/sling to be a welcome and useful support for our first Golden as she lost the use of her hind legs. For as long as they are happy….

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  16. Oh no, that is so sad 😦 How bad it is right now?? Just when she gets up or when she walks too?? The giant blonde Labrador of a Neighbour turned 14 this year. He has massive problems to get up and walk, but still wants to go very slow walks around the village. When he asked him “Arko, do we want to go home now?” Arko barks loud and takes my hand in his mouth 😀

    I cross my fingers for her. Big hugs ❤

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    • She has trouble getting up but is strong enough to still do it. She also wobbles when she walks and she will knuckle over meaning she stands and walks on a foot that kind of rolls under. This results in broken nails, so we only walk her on a grassy field to prevent this, and we don’t walk her far. She is very determined, but time is not on her side.
      Thanks Frauke.

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  17. What a beautiful wisdom face on your girl. I just lost 12 year-old Zoe, and still have Bear and Mr. T who are 12 and 11 respectively. It’s like running a little nursing home most days… and then a daycare for Emma and Ronnie deer. We love our animals. They give us so much joy, don’t they?

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    • And that Sally is really the point of all this. Everyone has pets they love and lose, and I have had dogs all my adult life. But this dog has given it back ten fold, and when I do lose her it will be both expected and overwhelming. But life goes on, and so will I, diminished but thankful for the magic time we had together.
      Thank you.

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      • My last day with Buddy was spent on his hair covered pillow. I kept thinking, remember, remember…the smell, as my nose was tugged into his ear and his blonde eyelashes blinking back at me. We loved him so much my eyes flood with tears thinking about that day. But I wouldn’t trade the years we had with him for all the gold in the world. So, I feel I know how deep your love goes my friend, I remember…..everyday. Thanks for sharing your Pumpkin Girl with us. Your photo’s have made me smile and remember how great it is to love a dog and be loved back too. We’re so lucky ❤ K

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      • Very well said, Kelly. Yes, to have that love, always, is a very rich thing. I have hung two 16×20 pictures of her in my living room and as I type she is sleeping next to me (me in the chair, she on the floor.)
        But it’s a hell of a thing, really, to love her so much.

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  25. This such a sweet post and I know it must be hard to see her struggle. My brother in California has a golden retriever named Bodie…I thought after a surfer but his son named her after a ghost town. And, I tell you my time out there with Bodie..surely as sweet as Pumpkin…made me see I could be a dog person after all. I took her portrait,last October I guess, and have neglected to work on it. Was to be a surprise for my brother. Also, they have a black lab named Amica. I am on the outs with Amica though because she ate all the chocolate I’d bought as a gift in Napa. Not to worry she was ok as I know dogs and chocolate do not mix well.

    Pumpkin is beautiful and sweet and I’ve long appreciated all the times you have shared her sweet face with us.

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    • What a lovely comment, Judy.
      I think that anyone who spends time around a golden would come away with a sense of wonder. As to Amica….labs are like goldens but with an extra mischievous gear.
      Pumpkin has given me gifts that I can’t really put in words yet, but someday I’ll attempt it. When I do, regardless of how long from now, it will be a tearful story as I will miss her with every fiber of my being, for the rest of my time.

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  26. This photo should be in the dictionary under love. What a beautiful girl with the light in her sweet soul shining bright and strong. It is so hard to watch our dogs fade and struggle but I don’t think they anticipate what is to come the way that we do. I’m sure she appreciates your love every single day.

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