All About Basil: A Birthday "Pupdate"

It's hard to believe our big guy is 7 years old. His birthday was this past Friday and we've been joking all week that he's finally caught up to me (in his 50's if we calculate by human years).

We spent the day rightfully spoiling him with ample treats, a special trip to Bass Pro Shops to visit the fish and pick out his very own present. Mary even made him a birthday cake that tops all of his previous celebratory eats.

We'll share the recipe for the cake this week but used this meat-based recipe from a couple years back as the foundation.

Who would have ever thought such a special creature could bring so much personality and joy into our lives? I remember the day we brought him home so clearly, yet it's hard to imagine what life was like without his wet nose and big ears as a part of our daily routine.

Over the past year we've enjoyed watching him:

Sleep like a log throughout the day, with audible snoring — only to jump up like clockwork at the sound of the mailman two doors down. In general, he still likes to be right by our side at all times, and never fails to keep a close watch on the projects we've got going on.

He's taken a liking to summer hose baths in the alley and is the best sport when it comes to tolerating picture posing, especially when treats are involved (and they always are).

As with most weims, Basil loves a good routine but also lives for the spontaneity of a car ride or trip to the river where he can run free, sniffing new scents for hours. A trip to the garden is the highlight of his week and sometimes we catch him sunbathing out back when we've let him out but don't hear his little scratch to come back in. This year he's also gained a knack for hunting the possums that have begun to show up in our backyard at night.

Now 7, we've also watched him slow down considerably. Last May, Basil had a mast cell tumor removed from his right hind quarter. Our veterinarian gave us a good prognosis, but we're loving on our big guy just a bit more each day, not taking our moments together for granted.

For those wondering, he picked out the fish pictured above to bring home. Fitting from his trip to see the real ones swimming, eh?

Thank you for dropping in today to help us celebrate Basil. If you'd like to keep up with more photos and stories, we've recently set up an Instagram account dedicated to his adventures, @Basiltheweim.

Discover More:

Homemade Dog Treat Recipes | More about Basil