There comes a point in every dog owner’s life when their dog begins advancing in age, and said owner starts to walk that delicate fine line between awareness and paranoia.

My friends, I am walking that line.

Cookie is a very predictable little dog. Her behavior is fairly regular and there are several things she’ll never pass up…treats, cheese, peanut butter and tummy rubs.

When I got back from the gym this morning, I went to spring the dogs from their kennels and as usual, Daisy bounded out tripping over herself and very excited to go outside. Cookie stumbled out of her kennel like a drunk and proceeded to bump into everything in her path between the kennel and the grass outside. Then, she stumbled her way back into the house. Now to be fair, I was moving in a similar fashion when I got up this morning (minus the “grass outside” part), so I sort of thought she was just having a tough time waking up…or I woke her up in the middle of REM sleep.

Anyway, her lethargic lack of coordination was nothing compared to the horror I experienced next…she…refused a treat. I kid you not. Not only did she refuse a treat, she turned her head away from cheese and peanut butter. The trifecta denied, I put her in a blanket on my bed and proceeded to take a shower. She stood solid as a statue and shook…and was still doing that when I got out of the shower. Her ears were droopy and Daisy wouldn’t quit sniffing her.

A little more concerned, I got dressed, threw my hair in a ponytail, put Cookie in her pink foofoo bed and surfed the internet to see if I could diagnose my poodle. Sadly, this article was of no help.

After my futile Blingo efforts, I shot my boss an IM that I was taking Cookie to the vet. When I came back out into the living room, Cookie was nowhere to be found. Turns out, she had decided to go sit under the table in the breakfast nook. Why, I have no idea. She never sits there.

Short story long, I took her to the vet, they poked and prodded and took her temperature. They gave her a bowl of chicken & rice soft dog food and she ate it all in fifteen seconds. Her ears were perky and she was acting as though the previous 2 1/2 hours never happened.

I felt like a fool.

Isn’t that always par for the course? Your teeth hurt…until you sit down in the dentist’s chair. Your car makes a weird clanging noise until the Service Advisor takes it for a spin around the block. Your dog exhibits bizarre behavior until the vet walks into the exam room.

By the way Cookie, thanks for the fire drill this morning. While I was wringing my hands at the vet hoping you were okay, I missed my opportunity to get great tickets to see Faith Hill & Tim McGraw this July with your daddy.

Grrrrr.