Three Kids and a Dog: Sadie Celebrates 7 years!

Today, Sadie turned 7. Somehow it seems like she's been with us so much longer. Probably because of all the work she is and has been since she was a puppy. From challenging us with her puppy ways like grabbing the girls bows out of their hair while I was driving to jumping over our backseats in the car to eat the munchkins that were in the front seat to eating her own toys (and having to have emergency surgery) to jiggling the lock on her crate with her nose to escape while we were gone, she really has been a challenge since we got her. So 7 years really doesn't seem long enough after her antics plus spinal surgery plus bilateral knee surgery. Plus, lots of love and care in between helping her up and down stairs, repositioning her legs when she lies down, helping her up when she falls or just helping her up to get a drink or to join us in another room or to go outside. She's like an old person who needs assisted living!

So making it to 7 is quite a feat for her really. Seven is actually the start of the life expectancy for Berners. They say 7-9 years and she's just hit it. I always said this dog would live longer than Adler just because she was so much work. That would give her four more years if she does. I don't know if she'll have four more years around the sun but I do know that every day, week or month that she lives beyond her 7, we'll love on her a little more than usual and do all her favorite things like going for rides (she doesn't much like to get out and walk anymore but she loves to ride in the car). She loves donuts and cinnamon rolls (and she's down to 106 lbs so why not indulge!). She loves her people. There's nothing she loves more than curling up on the couch at the end of a long day with all of her people. It's then that you know she's the happiest. She snores away, content and feeling safe and secure. In fact, as I type this, she's sitting next to me, under a blanket (now that she doesn't have any hair), snoring away and happy about how her birthday turned out (lots of treats). She may not know why she got all the attention today but she does know how much she's truly loved and how much we'll do to help her live her best life even as a dog with special needs!