Love in an Elevator

Lilith and I in the elevator

Caring for Lilith in her frailer years has taught me how strong I am capable of being, as well as how much I can adapt when I'm thrown multiple curveballs at once. The elevator has been a source of several curveballs. 

#1: Lil's vision isn't what it used to be, so she can't quite judge how much hopping is required to clear the gap. Her hind legs have fallen in the shaft as a result. Scary stuff, let me tell you!

#2: Lil has never lived in a building with an elevator, so going outside has gone from simple (open door, squat, pee) to not so simple (walk through hallway, wait for elevator, travel in elevator, walk outside, squat, pee). The lack of simplicity has resulted in several attempts to pee on the floor.

#3: She can smell other dogs in the elevator, so she sometimes mistakes it for the bathroom. This is undesirable for obvious reasons. 

Lil's issues don't have anything to do with her bladder. She can still hold it for quite some time before she feels the need to drop it like it's hot. We of the walnut bladders are majorly envious. Still, her confusion necessitated some action, so I started picking her up and carrying her outside. (If she was bigger, I would have tried a wagon). Often, when making adjustments to our routine, I go through a fair amount of trial and error, but in this case, carrying her was the first thing I tried. Phew! 

Now we have elevator snuggles. Sometimes she rests her head on my shoulder and just looks at me. It's so sweet! And as an added bonus, we both get some relief. Ahhh...