Woman Celebrates 13 Summers of Lakeside Vacations with Golden Retriever and It's Precious
“I’d easily give up some of my own years of my dogs could live longer,” reads one of the top comments on this video of a woman and her senior Golden Retriever enjoying a summer day at the lake together. It stopped me dead in my tracks. Because my job involves looking at a lot of animal videos on the internet, I thought I’d grown immune to the kind of heart-tugging content that defines the genre. But sometimes a total stranger manages to absolutely nail the pure love we have for our pets, and the deep hole in our life they leave when they are gone. My own retriever has been gone for six years now, and I still remember what a day at the lake was like with her.
For Florida resident Mackenzie Cann and her dog Rafael, there’s nothing to beat their thirteen year-long bond, and the memories they have created together.
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For thirteen summers, Raffi (short for Rafael) and his human have enjoyed frolicking at a lake, swimming in the water, riding on the boat, and just generally having a great time. And even though Raffi is definitely showing his age these days, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still like his vacations. Cann has made many modifications to help Raffi still live life to the fullest despite his advanced age, like taking him for “walks” in a foldable wagon and carrying him up and down the stairs in her house.
Related: Golden Retriever Makes Everyone Laugh by 'Twerking' on Lake Tahoe Dock After a Swim
After all, old dogs—like old people—just want to feel young.
Sugar-Faced Dogs
A lot of people refer to older golden retrievers and other dogs who lose color on their face as they age as “sugar-faced” or even “frosted.” It’s a sweet way to say they are graying, just like humans do, and you should count yourself lucky if your dog has lived to such an advanced age that their fur turns white. I never got to see what my dog would look like as an old lady, as she died of cancer at the tender age of nine. But you can bet that Cann is cherishing ever moment she gets to spend with her baby of advancing years.
In the video, she appears visibly moved and even blinking back tears as she cuddles Raffi in the water and at the end of the day in the boat heading home. We don’t know what Raffi’s current health situation is, but it’s not unreasonable to think that he doesn’t have a lot of summers left. Still, we hope that the two of them enjoy every moment together.
Taking Your Dog to a Lake
When bringing your dog out for a day on the water, be it ocean, lake, or even a stream, it’s important to consider safety. Cann is making all the right decisions here by putting her pup in a canine life jacket. These are widely available and can mean the different between life and death for you dog. Especially for a dog like Raffi, whose age makes him weaker and prone to tire more quickly, a floatation device like this means that he can still have some fun out on the water and not worry about fatigue as much.
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