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Friday Favorite: The Brown Chiots

January 3rd, 2014

It’s hard to believe that the Brown Chiots is 12 years old now.  Or at least she will be in the next week or so, we’re not sure when exactly she was born, we got her at the local dog pound in early March and were told she was 7-8 weeks old at the time.
lucy (1)
lucy
The day after we got her she got sick, really sick.  Turned out she had Parvo.  It was the weekend and the vet told us to try to make sure she got enough fluids through the weekend and to bring her in on Monday morning if she survived. She made it through the weekend and on Monday morning to the vet she went. They kept her for 2 days and gave her IV fluids and then she came home almost back to 100%. It’s amazing she survived.
lucy (3)
She drove us absolutely CRAZY when she was pup, but that’s what puppies do. She ran away, dug holes in the garden, ate plants and did all sorts of destructive things. She was great as far as house training though, never once soiling indoors. She also was fantastic at not tearing things up, she never once ate a shoe or tore up anything she wasn’t supposed to.
lucy (4)
Her only vice was tearing up all tissues that didn’t make it into the garbage can. Those she would frolic and play with throwing them around until they were in thousands of tiny shreds all over the floor.
lucy (5)
Then at 2 years old she matured into the best dog ever and has been that way ever since. She’s the garden namesake, as she used to love to run around the garden. She still does, though at a much slower pace in her old age. She’s closing in on being the oldest pet we’ve had. There was a cat named Jeffrey that I got in high school who lived to 13 before getting cancer.

What’s the longest lived pet you’ve had?

26 Comments to “Friday Favorite: The Brown Chiots”
  1. Marina C on January 3, 2014 at 5:38 am

    Our dearest Rosie, a yellow lab, lived to be 16 and some years old. She was the best dog, and helped us train the next two, Pippa and Maggie. Pippa is gone, Maggie is now 12, and she is a noble soul too.
    Chiot’s Run is a lovely name for the garden… I should have thought of it, being French!

    Reply to Marina C's comment

  2. Brenda on January 3, 2014 at 5:48 am

    Isn’t she just beautiful!

    Reply to Brenda's comment

  3. Janet on January 3, 2014 at 6:38 am

    I love me a good dog!! Beautiful. Thanks for sharing. My dog will be 10 this month and my cat 13. We had a flat-coated retriever but she passed in 2008 she was the BEST dog I ever had. Have a beautiful day!

    Reply to Janet's comment

  4. Ilene on January 3, 2014 at 7:08 am

    I love that picture right before the last one, in her prime, alert and full of vinegar!

    But yes, she has matured into a grand old lady. Just beautiful.

    We got our dog at the SPCA, they called him a sheltie mix but really I think part greyhound, part beagle. Heh. We estimate he was born in 1998. Right after we got him home, we discovered he had kennel cough, and he was just covered in little seed ticks.

    He has been a good dog and I dread what the future holds. He has arthritis now and can’t get up into his nice warm overstuffed easy chair. We had to provide him his own chair in the living room so he’d stop sneaking up on the couch to sleep. I’ve taken the cushion out so he can manage it but he got used to the rug in front of the fireplace before I thought to do that so his chair is just not his favorite place anymore.

    I do wish we’d raised him as an outside dog because I really hate having a dog in the house, and our grown son doesn’t come to visit very often because of his allergies.

    Reply to Ilene's comment

  5. Adelina Anderson on January 3, 2014 at 8:07 am

    In our house growing up, they either died young or died very very old. Our oldest pet was a cat named Piggy who lived to 22. Followed by a pure blood Persian (Kingston) who lived to 21. And finally a beautiful tabby named Kit who lived to 20.

    Right now we have a sweet cat named Puddin who is going to turn 16 this year. We can tell she isn’t always there mentally, but she still plays and cuddles. She is my buddy around the house. We are always together.

    Reply to Adelina Anderson's comment

  6. Kathi cook on January 3, 2014 at 8:35 am

    Our first 2 cats lived into their early 20s and our third one is 13 now and still going strong. Beautiful pictures of the Chiot.

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  7. Linda on January 3, 2014 at 8:36 am

    Our family best dog ever, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, lived to the ripe old age of 16. My childhood best dog ever, a Dalmatian, lived to 14. Both are remembered fondly.

    Reply to Linda's comment

  8. misti on January 3, 2014 at 9:06 am

    So far my Samson cat seems to be the oldest animal I’ve had. We adopted in at the end of 2002 from a shelter in Florida and they said he was 5 or 6 then. He’d been in the shelter for two months already at that point. Here it is 11 years later and he’s still here but definitely showing his 16 or 17 years.

    Reply to misti's comment

  9. AmyS on January 3, 2014 at 9:08 am

    Alex our Chow Chow was 13 when we put him to sleep. Just a month or so later we found our trash can kitty who we named Izzy. We believe she was there at the park waiting for us. We have two dogs and two cats right now. Izzy is the oldest at around 8 or 9 then Shelby our black lab will be 6 in May. I don’t miss the puppy phases but love the loyalty our labs give us. Marley our yellow lab will be 3 in just a couple weeks and he still has pup in him. He loves to roll in dead animals and find dead ones to give as presents. What I do love is how excited they are to see us after a day of work….no matter what kind of day we had they are so happy to see us. I love them! Lucy is a beautiful girl and I’m so glad she overcame her Parvo!

    Reply to AmyS's comment

  10. Lisa on January 3, 2014 at 9:27 am

    My beloved cat Fatty loved to be 21. I still miss that ole’ kitty.

    Reply to Lisa's comment

  11. DebbieB on January 3, 2014 at 9:43 am

    Aw, she’s so sweet. I love those eyes.

    I had a German Shepherd when I was growing up, she and I were the same age – her mom had her puppies on the rug underneath my crib the week I was born. :) She lived to be 14, I continued on.

    I’ve had numerous dogs and cats since then, none have lived as long as she.

    My current herd of cats (5!) varies from 8 to 10 years old. Everyone’s healthy and I’m hoping for nice long lives.

    Reply to DebbieB's comment

  12. Jodi Tork on January 3, 2014 at 11:34 am

    Lucy is such a lovely lady. Those pictures of her are great. I have 2 dogs. My schipperke, Snuggle Bear is 13yrs. My doxie, Manda is 4. I know I would be very lonely without their constant company.

    Reply to Jodi Tork's comment

  13. Melanie in Ca on January 3, 2014 at 11:41 am

    Our cat Igor was a grand old lady of 20 who had trained 3 Shelties, a German Shepherd and 3 Great Danes NOT TO MESS WITH CATS. Igor is gone now, as are all of the dogs she trained. We have two Danes now, one will turn 10 in two weeks, the other will turn 10 in September. That’s old for a Great Dane.

    What a beautiful seasoned citizen Lucy is! Thank you for sharing the photos, makes me want another puppy despite their predilection for mischief.

    Reply to Melanie in Ca's comment

  14. Joan on January 3, 2014 at 11:50 am

    Oldest was my horse, who died at 27. That’s not old for a horse though… We also had a Beagle who lived to be 17 1/2, a Brittany Spaniel who was 16 1/2, and a Siamese cat who was about 20. I hope that my current batch of pets all live long lives – two horses, two dogs, and a cat. It is so hard to lose an animal. Even the chickens, which seem to die off somewhere around age 5-6, cause us a lot of heartache when they go.

    Reply to Joan's comment

  15. Caroline on January 3, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    When I was in 4th grade my parents FINALLY let me get a cat. Well, she was the family cat. I carried her around like a baby. Needless to say, she hated me. To be honest, she really doesn’t like any females and her favorite people are my dad and brother.

    She’s still around and kicking at almost 19 years. She’s old and been sick for a few years now, we’re waiting for her to pass on.

    Reply to Caroline's comment

  16. Jessica on January 3, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    The dog I grew up with, Sandy, lived to be about 16. She was a mutt – some kind of sheep dog mix. We called her Sandy Puppins (as in Mary Poppins) because she acted like a nanny, following us everywhere – especially me – and sleeping in my room. She didn’t get along with other dogs or kids well, but she was devoted to the family.

    Reply to Jessica's comment

  17. Rhonda on January 3, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    Clarence, my cat lived to be 23 years old. I kept his ashes, which I usually don’t do with pets but he was special. That cat was with me longer than any human being. :-)

    Reply to Rhonda's comment

  18. denimflyz on January 3, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    A cat that was a rescue that was 23 yrs old. My folks had a cat that lived to be 27 yrs. old that is documented.
    Most of my cats get into the 16-20+ age before kidney failure or liver failure take over.
    They were all wonderful and cherished pets.
    I hope that your elder Chiots lives a wonderful, full life.

    Reply to denimflyz's comment

  19. Deairdre Miller on January 3, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    My dog now is only 8, but I don’t expect him to be particularly long lived -Greyhound/Shepherd mix. My horse from childhood made it to 32 which I thought was amazing as he was a BLM Mustang.

    Reply to Deairdre Miller's comment

  20. Michelle on January 3, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    My cat Rosie lived to be 19…we had to put her to rest 2 years ago. I was heart broken…

    Reggie, our dog, is going on 15. He’s definitely showing his age but I’m doing my best to keep him comfortable…Chondoitin twice a day, aspirin twice a day, turmeric in his food, walks once, sometimes twice a day (short…two houses down and back but he loves it…)

    My husband said the other day, “Our pets have longevity…they get good care here.”

    Reply to Michelle's comment

  21. Robin on January 3, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    She’s beautiful!

    We have Sebastian, black lab/German shepherd cross. He’s 13 1/2. He has a growth on the side of a front knee and bad hips but he still acts like a pup at times…briefly. He’s a good boy.

    Reply to Robin's comment

  22. Jennifer Fisk on January 3, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    I had a Poodle mix who lived to 18 years. She and my first GSD were best friends. On a hike the GSD made sure we waited for her.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  23. laura on January 4, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    My oldest was Alwyn a pet store cat a friend got for me long ago. He was the sweetest little tiny cat. My friends nicknamed him the rub slut because we would love on anyone who petted him. He died three years ago this month at the ripe old age of 16.
    blessings
    ~*~

    Reply to laura's comment

  24. Renee on January 5, 2014 at 5:30 am

    What a pretty dog and perfect garden namesake!

    I had a rabbit named Pumpkin that lived to be 10 years old, and passed away two Christmases ago. He was a great pet and I miss him a lot!

    Hoping to get a puppy this year!

    Reply to Renee's comment

  25. KimH on January 6, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    My kitty Lacho lived to be 22 years old and my mom finally had him put to sleep. That cat lived thru every one of his 9 lives a few times over.. He was the best old guy but he just got to where he couldnt move anymore.. sad.. but a great friend!

    Reply to KimH's comment

  26. Deb on January 12, 2014 at 11:21 am

    We had 2 cats that lived to be 15-1/2 yrs. old until they were helped tot he Rainbow Bridge due to health issues. We now have a cat that is 12-1/2 yrs. old and her mother who is jsut past 13 yrs. old. All our pets and kids’ pets are buried in our old orchard. Couldn’t imagine ashes from all of them, the huge amount of money wasted or the extra room I’d need just for that. Nature’s way and cheaper way is to bury and let them go ashes to ashes and dust to dust. The way it was intended to be.

    Reply to Deb's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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