There is no stopping the big old boy.

I really have tried hard to keep Bear from travelling up the stairs when we aren’t home. We tried putting up the x-pen in the kitchen for him, but somehow that got tossed aside. It is now quite bent. Bear is a big boy. LOL
We have tried to block him in the kitchen but he pushed aside everything we put in his way. Did I mention he is a big boy. I did try to keep him in a crate, but it’s not really big enough for him to stretch out. And besides, he bangs it around till the doors pop open. He is a big boy. So, we decided to allow him access to the whole main floor. Bear and Sashka get along quite well and we thought that would work. But he wants to go upstairs where it is dark and warm. We blocked the stairs with several types of barriers but he either knocks them over, pulls them down or pushes them aside. And to be quite frank, there isn’t much I can do about it anymore. The walls are damaged and he is upstairs where he wants to be. J Do I mind? Not much. Bear is well behaved and as long as he doesn’t make a mess, he is welcome to whatever bed he feels more comfortable in.
We are on the search for treatment that will help him with his mobility. Sometimes he is just fine (or at least appears that way). But once the excitement is over and he relaxes, you can tell he is uncomfortable. His feet drag, his movement is slow and he becomes out of breath quickly. So far we haven’t seen much improvement with the acupuncture but I don’t know if I am ready to give up on it yet. Next would be Cartrophen injections. And swimming. I bet he will love swimming.
Many people ask why we bother to do this. Surely he is an old dog and just about done with his life and wouldn’t our resources be better spent helping someone younger?? Yeah, he is older and yeah, there are young ones needing our help, but Bear isn’t “done” with life yet. There is still too much Joy in his eyes, there is still a bounce in his step once in awhile and he loves his squeaky toys and continues to play with those. So how can I stop helping him. LOL Well, of course I can’t.