I’m working on our winter/holiday print newsletter and our lovely?Stella is going to be on the cover. That’s one of the photos that will be in the newsletter. I took it late last week during an outdoor “photo session” when I was getting a variety of different shots. We had the other dogs (aka “attention hogs”) up on the porch behind the gate while we were photographing.
It’s hard to believe that those beautiful, clear eyes are completely blind, isn’t it? But that’s what progressive retinal atrophy looks like — the retina in the back of the eye no longer works, but the rest of the eye remains virtually normal and there’s no discomfort. She is developing cataracts and will need regular monitoring by our veterinary ophthalmologist, but for now they aren’t even really noticeable.
During her heartworm treatment, which lasted for months, we needed to keep Stella quiet — no activity, no physical exertion. Now, you’d think for an old gray girl that wouldn’t be a problem, but that wasn’t the case with Stella. As we mentioned in an earlier post, she loves to roughhouse and play tug-of-war, and when you let her outside she enjoys doing spontaneous twirls. She goes so fast it’s hard to get crisp photos even with the digital SLR camera we have, but here are a couple of shots of her in mid-twirl last week:
And here she is, one second later, finishing the twirl:
Stella is one very happy girl, and she takes such immense joy in each new day. This morning I passed her in the hallway, and the next thing I knew, she and I were roughhousing once more. What a turn-around for a girl who was abandoned only?a few months ago.
She says, “Would you like to see me do that again?”
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2014 Fall Shelter Challenge Begins
The fall?round of the Shelter Challenge for 2014 is underway. It began October 13?and ends November 23. You can vote every day at?http://www.shelterchallenge.com/. To search for us, type in our name, Rolling Dog Farm, and Lancaster, NH 03584. We’ve won thousands of dollars in the previous contests, so your daily votes do bring in serious money for our disabled animals!
Please note that I cannot help with technical or voting problems. If you find yourself having issues, please consult their FAQ page and their Rules page.
Thanks for your votes!
Spontaneous twirls – I love it!! She is so beautiful. I love senior dogs – they are the best. Those twirls are a sure indication of just how happy she is. And why wouldn’t she be. She so loved and cared for and has a ton of friends to play with and goats to smell. Life is good.
Nice choice for a feature story, Steve. Nothing quite as sweet and endearing as a lab face sparkling with a dusting of grey and joyful eyes. Yes, even tho they don’t work to see, they work to express her joy at being at Rolling Dog Farm!
What a beautiful girl. How could anybody just abandon her especially at her age. She’s making up for lost time with all the love from you & Alayne and her other dog friends there at the farm.
That last pic is my fave! I was having a bit of a “down day” Stella but you put a big ‘ole smile on my face and I could just hug and kiss you! My girls are 10 and 13 and I love to see the “pup” come out in them too. What a joy you are…….
That sweet face sure makes me smile! And no way would I ever guess she’s blind, but again proving your point about different abilities. Hugs to Stella!
Oh, she looks so sweet. It’s wonderful to see such a happy face. You’re right, you can’t tell she’s blind from the photos.
I love Stella. It’s wonderful that she will be your cover girl. I know it’s hard to choose, but she will live up to the job I’m sure!! Noone would ever know that she’s blind or that her former life was so bleak. Happy days all around 🙂
What a sweetheart! Lucky girl 🙂
Stella is a lovely girl and the pictures are so fun to see – thanks for posting!
Stella, you clearly have a lot of good years left in you. Keep smiling! And twirling!
We had a black lab named Faulkner who we were fortunate enough to have a part of our lives until he was 14 years of age. He had the graying muzzle like Stella and the gray paws and even had gray on the tip of his tail. He wobbled a bit and did some ole dog bunny hops when he walked and sometimes he would just stand and reflect at a sudden moments notice… but wanted to take those short hikes and roll in the grass till his last day (to walk the same trail each day with Faulkner was like walking it for the first time- he took joy in every moment) – he was a cherished member of our family and truly 14 years was way too soon to say goodbye to him. I am so glad that Stella has your home to call her home where she will be loved and get to continue to roll in the grass. Thank you so much for sharing her story 🙂
Pure JOY!!!! Thank you for saving Stella!!!!!
What a sweet girl! Want to give her hugs! So nice that she can be so happy now and feel such love………thank you for taking her in and giving her such a great life.
I’m in love with beautiful Stella. I so love seeing members of the “grey face club”. Stella is proving that just because there’s grey on the top doesn’t mean there’s not a fire in the furnace and just seeing these pictures proves that point. It’s so good to see her twirling and to know she’s still happy to roughhouse with you…showing her happiness to be with you all there 🙂
Loved Stella from the first second of seeing her photo @ RDF. Have never seen a graying lab ( I’ve been robbed ….. )
I love the fiendish eye expression in the 1st photo – har har !
Thank you for providing this wonderful site so old housebound folks like me can still see doggies & all your animals ! xoxoxoxoxo Roz
I love seeing Stella! And I agree with every other comment here. Stella has the right attitude: let’s all do twirls today because every day is a good one!
I totally agree with all the comments about older dogs. They may not be like the puppy they once were but they still enjoy so much in life. And looking at the face of Stella makes me so angry at the person who would not want her. She’s a beauty.
Why does Stella twirl…simply because she still can and she has someone who will roughhouse with her and love her. Thank you for making her retirement years happy!
What a beautiful face! Lucky dog, to be living at RDF.
Stella, is so darn CUTE! She looks like she has a very silly side.