How my dog helps me appreciate geriatrics

Our dog, Roxy, has spent more than 13.5 years on this planet. You can estimate her human age as anywhere from 84 to 95. Pretty impressive since the average Rottweiler usually lives eight to 10 years.During that time, our beloved Roxy has taught me something new.I've always liked the energy and honesty of little ones, but Roxy has introduced me to the wonders of old age.Every day is an honourI marvel at Roxy every morning. Our first dog, Olo, died with metastatic cancer just past his fifth birthday, so to have a dog who has lived with our family for over a dozen years is truly miraculous.At the end of August 2025, I found the first of Roxy's cancers (high grade mast cell tumour), which was swiftly followed by the diagnosis of a thyroid cancer invading her lymph nodes.I count every milestone ever since. Labour Day, my birthday, Halloween, my daughter's birthday, my husband's birthday, Christmas . . .Snowfall. Roxy loves snow. Every few steps, she'll stop to scoop up a snoutful and eat it. Springtime. Roxy loves to lie on our porch and snooze in the sun. Roxy just celebrated my son's latest birthday. Good girl, Roxy.Now I look at older patients and marvel. Look at you! What an accomplishment.You know how when you're pregnant, people ask, “How ARE you?” because you're a rock star just for showing up? That's old age! And it doesn't end after 40 weeks. It just keeps getting more intense!As Mick Herron wrote in his novel Reconstruction, “People made the mistake of thinking older people weak, but you only got old by surviving. Things wore out, but the core got harder.”Work smarter, not harderI offered Roxy a treat. Instead of taking it, she turned her head toward the front door and barked.Bell, our younger dog, immediately took off, barking and clambering on the door. Roxy swung her head back toward me and ate her treat in peace.“You're so smart, Roxy,” I said, but she simply looked at me like, “Yeah, I know.”Older people know things! My mother's lunch crowd at the retirement home is two nonagenarians about 20 years older than her. Good thing! They tell her what to do and where to go. For example, this home only offers chair exercises twice a week, compared to other homes where it's twice a day, five times a week. "It doesn't matter. Go do the exercises yourself, in your own room!" they told her. And she does.The pleasures of going slow“I wanted an old dog that I could take my time with,” my neighbour once told me.Now I know what she means. Roxy once made our kids literally fly when she took off and they were too small to anchor her. My son, Max, says he basically waterskiied on his face on our gravel driveway. My daughter, Anastasia, simply remembers soaring through the air and landing on her stomach on the porch (never made it to the driveway).Roxy may not whip around like she used to, but she'll stop to smell a tree branch, and she'll really lean in with her whole body. She's always been very intense about smelling. She smells things the way I eat, with great passion. Walks are meaningful and a feast for the senses. And much more relaxing than when she'd burst off into the forest and I'd have no idea if or when she'd come back.At the Geriatric Day Hospital, my mother's walker is the norm as we crowded into the elevator. Actually, a mobility aid is a sign that you're mobile and cognitively bright enough to benefit from their program. So yes, go slow. Better than someone else coming in by stretcher and paramedic, or not coming in at all, right?Roxy has handled two types of cancer, three different surgery, multiple ultrasounds, and an unprecedented number of blood tests and other pokes. She pants with any exertion now. Her left elbow has started to bleed.But she's still here. Still tough. Still smart.She, my mom, and the rest of the silver-haired brigade march on for as long as they can, showing us how it's done.

How my dog helps me appreciate geriatrics

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Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes

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