Dear Old Trainer: The response you gave to the woman who had lost her dog was so comforting because I am facing the same thing. My 14-year old Jack Russell, Missy, is on her last legs, and I just don't know how I can deal with losing her. I cry every day just thinking about it. You said you had gone through it. What will I do when I don't have Missy any more? I just can't face it. Saddened, Carmel
A: The Old Trainer is facing the same issue, Saddened, and with the best dog he has ever had. Rowdy the border collie has been No. 1 since the day she trotted out of a homeless encampment in Golden Gate Park and adopted The Old Trainer.
Rowdy has entertained everyone she met for her 12 years and always demanded the spotlight. Many readers have seen Rowdy showing off her Kite Dog skills at the Marina Green in San Francisco and her world-class athletic skills in various Frisbee contests.
In her mind, she is co-leader of our pack. The two of us make joint decisions on how the rest of the pack behaves. I lost count of how many dogs she trained. She is especially hard on young males.
I give a command and she gives them the street fighter stare. If they don't respond at once, she jumps right in the middle of them.
They don't make that mistake again. Together, we trained hundreds of dogs and found homes for them.
But she has slowed down and she knows it. She can no longer jump six feet in the air or race through the woods after the same deer that has eluded her for years. At her peak she knew more than 200 commands and could perform them in an instant, but now, like an old fighter, she has to pick her spots.
She is aware of what she has lost, and she considers it from time to time.
I can see the nostalgia in her face when the other dogs take off after deer, but she is content to stay by my side now and let the younger dogs handle the chase she once led, giving them a bark to cheer them on. She watches them for awhile, then she looks up at me to see if I understand. I do.
As her gifts fade into the mists, we communicate better than ever. She watches me more closely than she did when she was young and has become an expert at letting me know what she is thinking.
I suggest you find a young dog to learn from Missy while she is still able to help teach him. Missy has a lot she can pass on, and this is a good time for the two of you to join together in training a new dog the way she wants him trained.
Another dog can provide a lot of company for her, and she will know she is leaving you in good hands.
In "The Great Gatsby," Fitzgerald spoke of "...the future that recedes before us." That is Rowdy and me now, and we make the best of it that we can.
She is training one last male for me because she sees something special in him, just like I do. She is tough on him and bristles if he makes the mistake of getting closer to me than she is. That is still her spot, just as it always has been.
Send questions for The Old Trainer to: theoldtrainer711@yahoo.com
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