Being a nice, sunny day, we ran into a lot of other people. Jackson, almost 15 years old now, wears the front half of a Help Em Up harness so I always have a handle to help him if the need arises. He also wears booties on his hind feet because he drags his hind legs a bit, and his feet get scraped up without the booties.
Jackson doesn't mind the harness or booties one bit, but we do get a lot of questions about them from people we meet along the trail. Most of the questions are due to the fact that Jackson doesn't look like a 15 year old dog - Dalmatians generally don't get grey, so they tend to look younger than their years. Usually as soon as I explain Jackson's age, people understand why he needs assistance. Other people have additional questions, and I am happy to explain that while Jackson still loves to hike, and in fact needs to hike for his emotional well being, his body sometimes needs help. I can't do much about the people that think he shouldn't be hiking at his age. I live with him and we are best buddies. I feel comfortable judging what he can handle on any given day, and we are both good with it.
We were lucky enough to meet a lovely couple today riding their horses on the trail. They stopped to chat, and Jackson was completely comfortable with 2 horses basically standing over him while he ate his treats.
One of the nice perks of Jackson's age is that he can finally hike off leash! Jackson as always been a very independent, curious dog. And maybe just a tad bit stubborn, so he has always had to hike on a leash. But now he no longer takes off, so he gets to be off leash when no people are around. While it sometimes makes me sad seeing how much he has slowed down, I choose to look at the positive side and see the joy when he gets to hike off leash and explore the trails that he loves so much.
