A senior dog has hit on an ingenious way to get up and down the stairs with little or no effort.
Mrs. Jingles, a 15-year-old Jack Russell, lives on the Isle of Wight in the UK with his owner Kerrie. In a video posted to her TikTok, @animals_and_other_family, Kerrie revealed the new way her squeaky dog has gotten around the house.
This was told by Kerrie, who kept her last name private Newsweek that age is mostly just a number to Mrs. Jingles in her day-to-day life. “Her back legs are not so good anymore, but she still loves to play on the beach,” she said. “She loves her orange ball, which she carries everywhere, and her favorite treat, which is fresh chicken. She can really step up when the fridge opens.”
TikTok/animal_and_other_family
That eagerness to get around has seen Mrs Jingles start jumping on the stair lift they have installed in the family home. In the clip, which was shared on social media, Ms Jingles can be seen walking down the stairs of the unit, only too happy to avoid the hassle of doing it for herself.
“When you can’t use the stairs anymore…15 year old Mrs. Jingles accepts this mission,” reads a caption on the screen.
Kerrie posted the video of Mrs. Jingles because she is proud of her pet and the adorable things she makes. “I love her and want to share that with others,” she said. “I also really enjoy the dog community on TikTok.”
The way our dogs see the world changes with age. A 2020 study published in the journal Scientific reports highlighted this with a piece of research that analyzed the personality traits of 217 border collies ranging in age from 6 months to 15 years. Attention and problem solving appeared to improve until age 6, but remained stable thereafter, while curiosity was found to decline among dogs from age 3.
While activity levels, perhaps unsurprisingly, declined with age, a dog’s ability to tolerate frustration remained on par with their eagerness to be social.
The dog community on TikTok has embraced Mrs. Jingle’s new way of getting around the house.
At the time of writing, the clip of the veteran Jack Russell using the stairlift has been viewed more than 310,000 times with viewers applauding the senior dog’s approach.
“This is valuable,” wrote one. “My 17-year-old pug needs this.” Another viewer thought it was “so nice to know they understand they need help getting up and down the stairs.”
A third commented: “My 17 year old Chihuahua needs this. I carry him up and down,” with a fourth adding: “Oh sweet older girl. your parents love you so much.”
Kerrie said she hopes this video and the many others she posts of Mrs. Jingles, conveys her firm belief that “senior dogs matter.”
“They have been loyal and loving all their lives and now we have to cherish and care for them in their old age,” she said. Kerrie added that she believes there are shelters everywhere filled with dogs like Mrs. Jingles who deserve a chance to see their golden years in a happy, loving home.
“They have so much love to give,” Kerrie said. “A young puppy is wonderful, but to have earned the love of an old dog is a special thing.”
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