This is George. He’ll be 14 years old in August. George has been Josh’s best friend since he was 6 weeks old.
Josh says that George’s breeder was really into show dogs and George was the most undesirable to her, “He had a crooked tail and a big white spot under his chin which made him unshowable for some reason, so needless to say, he’s the one I chose. He’s been with me through 4 moves and 3 different girlfriends so our bond is something special. He’s basically all the immediate family I have.”
Josh adds, “When he was 4, he lost function of his back legs due to a spinal injury from jumping up onto things. The surgery was costly so I sold my quad (ATV) to get the $6,000 dollars for neurosurgery on a dog spine, and it was a complete success. That was nearly 10 years ago and I wouldn’t of done one thing differently. He’s been healthy and problem free ever since so it was a great investment.”
Because of George’s slipped disc, Josh knew his best friend had to stop jumping up on things. “The vet told me it’s common in dachshunds from jumping up on things so I knew that had to stop.”
Josh decided to build George his own set of ramps for getting around the house. “I’m obviously a shitty carpenter, but my old dog has tiny legs and can’t jump like he used to.”
“He picked up using the ramps in no time.”
“I lured him with treats to use them instead of jumping.”
“He still gets up them pretty quick. The big one for the bed he slides down which is extremely cute.”
“My best friend for the past 13 years”. When George turned 13 years old, he celebrated with a special treat. “It’s your 13th birthday George, and yes, you can has cheezburger.”
He also likes to try his friends things too. “I thought the cat might like a little bed of her own.”
“They told me I could be anything…”
“These days, he has a lot of mysterious bumps, bad teeth and all the things that come with aging dogs, but he still runs around like a puppy. The vet says there’s not much we can do about most of these things because of his age,” says Josh. “There’s no need to traumatize him so I just keep an eye on him to make sure his quality of life is the best I can make it.”
Josh adds, “He’s my best friend, child, immediate family and my dog all at the same time. When he does pass away I’m not sure I would even be able to own another dog is how much impact this guy has had on my life.”
All photos credit Josh
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