Derby

On a hot summer day, Derby loves to lay down on the cool hardwood floor. He just relaxes on the floor, and lounges like a king.

The problem is when he wants to get up, he needs some assistance from us to give him a boost. You see, the floor is slippery and smooth, and due to old age, he is not as flexible as a younger dog. Of course he has no issues getting up from a carpeted or paved surface. Still, knowing that he can’t get up on his own from the hardwood floor, he keeps doing it when he gets too hot. What can you do?

 But he sure looks cute laying down on the floor, enjoying the coolness. Don’t you think so?

Derby was so funny this morning.

While I was getting ready to go to work, he was in one of his playful moods and kept poking me and asking for some game time! I kept ignoring him and continued putting on my makeup, but he continued dancing around and shaking his tail. He was so cute and energetic, that I had to stop what I was doing and play with him for 5 minutes. He is an old dog, and seeing him act like a puppy once in a while is such a treat to me. Of course, after 5 minutes of game time, he was done and went back to his bed, and I left for work. He is such a sweet boy!

Last time we weighed Derby, he was 80 lbs! He is not a fat dog when you look at him, but stocky and muscular. But still, he need to lose some weight in order to be healthier and have less stress on his legs. So, we have him on a diet now. The goal is to bring him down to 70 pounds. Of course, this will be a challenge as he loves to eat. He loves food, all kinds. The new plan is to give him only one cup of dry and some wet dog food in the morning and the same at night, and no extras, no treats, no table food. I hope this works.

Derby is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. He worries about everyone. Seriously! This morning I fell down in our kitchen and Derby ran to me with his loving eyes, started licking my  face and ran around me, as if he was trying to help me out. Such a sweet boy!