Ella Bucalli's rescue stories, senior-dog notes, and the little routines I keep coming back to
3 posts from November 2025.
I used to explain away every hesitation or missed cue by saying it was just a part of getting older. It was a comfortable way to quiet my own anxiety while standing by the coffee maker, waiting for the water to heat.
When I first heard the term cognitive dysfunction, I felt a familiar internal resistance that had nothing to do with the dog and everything to do with my own fear of labels.
The checklist I use so I do not lazily call something “just aging” when it may be pain, sensory loss, illness, or something else that needs attention.