Rootbear
Rootbeer, Intrepid Lhasa Apso and ElderDog Alumni (2006-2023)
Rootbeer, an intrepid and gentle Lhasa Apso, died on September 19, 2023 in Sydney Nova Scotia. He was 17 years-old.
Rootbeer spent his formative years on a farm in rural Cape Breton. He loved the outdoors and earned the respect of his adoptive parents and the barnyard by ensuring the chickens and several turkeys were mindful of their boundaries.
In 2013, after the death of his adoptive father, Robert, he moved to Sydney with Dianne, Robert’s partner and Rootbeer’s pal. Life in Sydney was quieter for Rootbeer but, being the resilient soul he was, he adapted and became a star in the downtown apartment building where he lived. By 2020 at the age of 14, Rootbeer was blind from cataracts, deaf from a persistent ear canal inflammation, and had arthritis. His buddy, Dianne, had developed mobility issues and contacted ElderDog for help with Rootbeer’s walks and medical care. Rootbeer was a great ElderDog client. He was kind and gentle and his walkers, Michelle and husband plus Laura totally enjoyed walking in Wentworth Park with Rootbeer. And, just as he was a star in his apartment building, Rootbeer was very popular with downtown pedestrians.
By 2021, Dianne’s mobility was such that she didn’t feel comfortable taking Rootbeer out at all and asked ElderDog for help. After being approved through ElderDog’s adoption process, Laura and her husband Darrell took Rootbeer to live with them. Being the resilient dog he was, Rootbeer soon came to love his new residential neighbourhood and home. He lived for his twice daily walks; was a hit with the children in the hood; loved his frequent visits with Dianne, who died in June 2023; and had a somewhat ambivalent relationship with cats, Kate and Simon, with whom he resided. This writer reports that Rootbeer was a joy to live with. Though the blindness, deafness, and arthritis must have affected his experience of the world, he was always kind and gentle, and very appreciative of everything in his life, including the occasional piece of bacon Darrell would slip him when Laura wasn’t looking.
By September 2023, the arthritic pain was more than even Rootbeer could bear. A trip to his veterinarian confirmed it was time for Rootbeer to join Robert, Dianne, and Kate, one of the felines he lived with. We said our goodbyes on September 19. And, let the record show that, on the morning of his final appointment, Rootbeer went for his walk with his head held high and a smile on his face, just as he went through his entire life.
You are loved and missed, Rootbeer!