Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Lhasa in the Dark



Not many of you know this but, Alex has a "step-son". His name is Nova (short for Supernova) and he will be 13 years old this April Fool's day.

Nova was given to me as a Christmas present by an old high school boyfriend. From the start he was just a nice 'all-around' dog. What only sucked was his hair because it grows fast. We would always have to cut it because it would be easier to maintain. He never looked like what Lhasa Apsos are really supposed to look like. He looks more like a cute Ewok.

From what I know of his parents, they lived a looong time. His father died at 18 years old. His mother died a little sooner. He has a brother who is a little shorter and is more of a cream and white in color. I haven't seen him in over 10 years.

Nova isn't as young as he used to be but he still brings me joy. I feel so bad for him now because he developed diabetes. The vet says that he just got it somehow because his diet was fine and he wasn't overweight at all. It's still weird to me that we need to give him his insulin shots two times a day.

Also, what sucks is that because since his tear ducts don't produce tears, he is now blind. Well, actually the vet says it's kinda like he is wearing dark sunglasses all the time. So, Alex and I have to watch him bump into walls and such. Lot's of times he just plops himself in the middle of the hallway or where there's heavy foot traffic. We usually have to nudge him to guide him outta the way. But he's always had awesome hearing, so that has helped him move around.

Now that he's an "old dog" he's too stubborn (and spoiled) now to learn 'new tricks'. Walking him used to be enjoyable for him but now it seems like a chore. But he does get far...the door to the house has been left open and he's gotten out. I panic and go on a frantic search for him. One time on a 'Nova hunt', my father found him 4 blocks away! (We've told people at our house to be more careful, but it doesn't seem to stick!)

I enjoy my old dog. He still brings a smile to my face. I look for him when I walk in the door. And even though he can't see me, he knows he is loved.

2 comments:

pablo said...

dang Amanda, your dog is pretty jacked up. Enjoy the time you have left with him,

urBenLA said...

what a coincidence, I will be 31 ("13" to those who are dyslexic) on April Fool's Day!

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