How Old Dog Keeps Up With Walks Melts Hearts: ‘Still Part of the Pack’

A video of a senior dog that “can’t keep up” being driven across a field on a walk with other pups has gone viral on TikTok, where it received over 130,000 views at the time of writing.

The clip was shared from Tim Ashton (@adogslife_withtim), a dog trainer and director at the Tiverton Dog Centre in Devon, a U.K. county in the southwest of England.

A message overlaid on the video read: “The old boy can’t keep up anymore but he’s still part of the pack.” The footage showed a cavalier King Charles spaniel sitting with the dog trainer in what appeared to be a type of motor vehicle.

The old dog called Bailey was shown being driven across a country landscape, as other dogs raced past the vehicle across the field.

A caption posted with the video read: “Just happy to be involved.”

According to the American Kennel Club, the world’s largest purebred dog registry, cavalier King Charles spaniels offer “the best of two worlds, combining the gentle attentiveness of a toy breed with the verve and athleticism of a sporting spaniel” and have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years.

Based on general guidelines, a dog is considered “senior” when they have reached 75 percent of their lifespan, veterinarians Ryan Llera and Krista Williams said in an article for VCA, one of North America’s largest animal hospital chains.

Many changes happen as dogs age and it can lead to various diseases or disabilities, such as impaired vision, which can cause “anxiety or reactive behaviors” if your dog doesn’t realize they’re being approached. These changes in vision can be due to cataracts or retinal changes caused by hypertension, the veterinarians said.

“Keep track of your dog’s energy levels, especially how long they are able to walk. If you notice significant declines, it could be a sign of pain, heart disease, or other illness,” Llera and Williams advised.

The veterinarians also noted that “older dogs have reduced energy requirements and can easily become obese.” So regular walks are important, not just for mental and physical stimulation but also for getting some additional “one-on-one time” with their owners.

The pup featured in the latest viral post is one of the working dogs at the Tiverton Dog Centre.

According to the poster, the 13-year-old is “slowly going blind and struggles on his legs but medication helps slightly.”

Ashton added: “He enjoys a sunset just as much as me.”

Several users on TikTok were delighted by the senior dog in the latest video.

Peaches said: “He’s upgraded to supervisor,” to which the original poster replied “I think he was actually born a supervisor—his name is Lord Bailey on our website.”

User @moonkittty7 wrote: “This is so sweet. Thank you for still letting him have the experience,” while Susan Pratt289 said “Bless him! I know how he feels! Getting old.”

User val_trott said: “Jokes on everyone else. He’s chillin while everyone else is having to put in the work.”

Usr @lauren_xxxxxxxxxxx said: “His little face. so precious! Beautiful old boy.”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and the Tiverton Dog Centre. This video has not been independently verified.

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