17-Year-Old Dog Spends All Day Taking Floating Naps

Chewie has been with her family since she was just a tiny puppy, and now she’s a seasoned senior lady. Jana Tuchin adopted Chewie right after her husband passed away suddenly, and Chewie really helped her navigate her grief by never leaving her side. After everything they've been through together, Tuchin vowed that Chewie would live her best life for as long as she's around.

Chewie was always a super active dog, participating in lots of different activities, but she’s slowed down a lot in recent years. When she was 13 years old, she developed a neurological issue, and her mom quickly looked into ways to manage it, one of which is swimming.

From the moment she started water therapy, Chewie was absolutely obsessed. Her therapist gets her all set up with floaties so she can just drift around the pool — and it’s so comfy and relaxing for her, she usually falls right asleep.

“It scared me when she first relaxed like that, and I would make her exercise her limbs,” Jana Tuchin, Chewie’s mom, told The Dodo. “The therapist said how wonderful that weightlessness feels and so happy for her to enjoy. Now she almost always relaxes as soon as I get her adjusted.”

The floaties allow Chewie to fully relax her body and let the water carry her around, and give her a sense of independence in the pool. She usually gets to swim twice a week in the winter and pretty much every day in the summer. While her favorite part about it is taking floating naps in the water, sometimes she likes to get a little playful, proving that no dog is ever too old to channel their inner puppy.

“She gets revved up when I tug on her toy,” Tuchin said.

Chewie’s floating naps mean so much to her, and her mom will continue to let her have them as often as she can for the rest of her golden years.