Original subtitles

(DOG SIGNAL)

OYAMADA

It's morning.

My eyelids and body feel heavy.

But I have to get up.

Good morning, Ribbon.

So this is why

my body feels heavy.

Oh, I've overslept.

Has your mom fed you…

Oh, right.

My wife…

is no longer here.

(The Old Man and The Old Dog)

Sorry for feeding you so late.

Congratulations on your retirement.

I would also like to quit

as your maid.

This is the so-called divorce after retirement.

I never dreamed

that this would happen to me.

What was she dissatisfied with?

No, I need to exercise.

Or I'll grow old and weak.

It's no use dwelling on the past.

Okay.

Let's go out and clear our heads, Ribbon.

From now on, we will…

Sorry.

I'm not very quick.

Okay.

DOG GROOMING, FONTE

How is it?

It looks so good.

You are prettier than before, Ribbon.

I prefer ladies with short hair.

What should we do with this?

Would you like to take it with you?

This was handmade by my wife…

No, please throw it away for me.

Miss Izumi!

What breed is that fluffy dog?

It's super cute.

Old English Sheepdog.

It's a female, so it's smaller in size.

Sheepdog.

That's how a sheepdog looks after a haircut.

I thought it was a different breed.

But I like it, it's super cute.

Right?

The pet owner likes it too. He prefers short hair.

The weather is really nice.

You look much fresher.

Let's go straight to the park, Ribbon.

DOGRUN

Do you remember?

When you were little,

our family came here several times.

Although I'm alone now,

I will bring you here every day from now.

Come on, run!

Go, Ribbon!

You can run.

Did you forget?

Well then.

I'll run with you.

Be prepared.

Ready.

Run!

It's been so long since I ran, it's so tiring.

My steps feel so heavy.

Right, Ribbon?

Ribbon, what are you doing?

Come here, Ribbon.

Hey, come here!

Ribbon, you…

When I call you,

you should come over.

You can do it if you put your heart into it.

So cute.

Okay, let's do it again.

Make sure to follow me and run.

Ready.

Run!

Any dogs who want treats?

Ribbon!

It's so hard doing housework by myself.

It's just endless.

I would like to quit as your maid.

Sorry for making you wait, Ribbon.

I'll take you out for a walk tonight.

Did it snore this loud before?

I'm really happy today.

Let's do it again next time.

Eh?

Ribbon?

It needs so much sleep?

It didn't even change the position.

Although it hardly ran,

it did get a haircut.

Is it too tired?

You are finally up.

You want me to pat your backside?

Okay.

Since it was a puppy,

whenever I brush my teeth,

it always crawls under my free left hand.

You're 10 years old, right?

You've had perfect attendance every morning for 10 years.

That's an impressive record.

However…

Ribbon!

I am here!

It still refuses to run in the dog park.

Even when I want to take it for a jog in the morning,

it sleeps so deeply and won't get up.

Even the command that it used to perform perfectly…

Sit.

Why don't you sit?

If you don't sit, I won't give you the treat.

Sit.

Sit.

Have you become a bit negligent?

I remember there is a dog training class next to the beauty salon.

DOG TRAINING PROUD DOG

The dog from last time!

So cute.

All fluffy.

-It… it's really popular. -All fluffy, so cute.

Soft and fluffy.

It became less obedient to your commands?

Yes, I feel like it's become a bit negligent.

I see.

Please try asking it to sit.

Okay.

Ribbon, sit.

Sit.

Come on, the teacher wants to see you sit.

Sit down.

Ribbon, sit.

Sit down.

Sit.

Does it drag its feet when walking?

No, it does not.

What… What are you doing?

Mr. Oyamada.

Ribbon doesn't follow your commands

probably due to aging.

Just like humans, once dogs age,

their joints and body movements

will deteriorate along with the eyes and ears.

It is said that large dogs age faster than small dogs.

Because of their larger size, their bodies feel heavier,

and their movements also become slower.

It is normal that they can't do what they used to do.

Our training class can't do anything about that.

Aging…

Wait.

But it is only 10 years old.

Compared to before, dogs now can live longer.

And…

Mr. Oyamada.

Is Ribbon really only 10 years old?

For dogs, especially large breeds,

even if the body doesn't get thinner as it ages,

the muscles in the waist and the hind legs will rapidly thin out,

and you start to feel the hard bones clearly.

For a 10-year-old,

its bones feel a bit too prominent.

Found it.

Pedigree certificate.

When they see this, they…

12 years old.

But my wife said not long ago…

Today is Ribbon's 10th birthday,

so she wanted to make a cake for dogs.

That was a memory from two years ago.

Was I…

Was I so negligent to my family?

Ribbon.

Its lumbar bones

were not so noticeable before.

Because of a layer of fur,

I never realized it had gotten thinner.

In these past few years,

I only touched it while brushing my teeth.

LIFESPAN OF OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG

AROUND 10 TO 12 YEARS

Wait.

This means, before long,

Ribbon will also…

No.

I don't believe this.

If you give up just because you're old,

your life would be over.

There are people over 100 years old who are still vigorous.

If muscles have deteriorated,

we can retrain them.

We have to live a long life.

If you leave me too,

I would be very upset.

Together with dad.

OYAMADA Let's go.

Come on, Ribbon.

DOG TRAINING PROUD DOG

Mr. Niwa.

The next appointment has been canceled.

Is that so?

Then I'll take Uruson for a walk

and check on Mr. Oyamada.

Please mind the store.

Ribbon's owner? Why?

Because he looked shocked

to hear that the dog has aged.

You are caring about someone other than the dog.

Mr. Niwa, what a progress…

MINAMIGAOKA 1 Minamigaoka 1…

I think I just passed by here.

Ribbon.

Hey, Ribbon.

What's wrong?

Ribbon!

NOSUKE PET CLINIC

Mr. Oyamada, please come in.

It only fainted for a few minutes.

It's normal now.

I'll bring it over later.

However, its heartbeat has a murmur.

So I gave it an echocardiogram.

I see.

The result is that

Ribbon has a heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy.

Heart disease.

Can it be cured?

Unfortunately, this disease is incurable.

You must come to the clinic regularly to monitor the condition.

And it needs to take medication to slow the worsening.

Incurable…

However, with its current condition,

it shouldn't faint just from a stroll.

Why did it happen?

Its lower body is gradually weakening due to aging,

so I wanted to strengthen its muscles

by extending the distance of the walks

and trying to make it run.

Come on, Ribbon.

I also made it

do high-load exercises on the uphill.

I didn't expect

that it has a heart disease.

I just got divorced from my wife.

She would take Ribbon for a health checkup every year.

No problems were found last year.

Although there is no biological evidence,

it is believed that one year in the life of a large dog

is equivalent to seven years of a human.

In any case,

even if everything was fine last year,

it doesn't mean nothing can happen this year.

Seven years.

I was completely unaware of that.

My dog is already 8 years old.

I have no confidence in maintaining my composure

after it passes away.

EMPHATICALLY I suppose so.

So I can understand your reluctance to admit that Ribbon has aged.

Seeing it sleep all the time

and feeling its emaciated body makes you anxious.

You want to see it healthy and active even if it's forced

so as to reassure yourself. I can understand that feeling.

But such actions can't stop it from aging.

Rather,

you're forcing it for your own peace of mind,

which might even shorten Ribbon's life.

Wait, Ribbon!

Don't rush, your dad…

Ribbon!

Ribbon.

It seems to think that you abandoned it.

Ribbon.

What should I do?

If it leaves me,

I…

Ribbon's dad, take a look at this.

Paper clay.

Exactly, take this as an example.

If Ribbon only has this much lifespan,

even though we can't increase it,

as long as we're careful not to let it break

and extend it carefully,

look,

it may become this long.

The important thing is to face the facts

and admit that it has grown old and is sick.

On this basis,

live in a way that is least stressful for Ribbon and maintains its status.

This way, whether it is a sick dog or an old dog,

it may live longer than expected.

The animal clinic where I used to work

has a sick Old English Sheepdog that lived to be 18 years old.

Set it as the goal for Ribbon.

Let's do our best together.

Afterwards, Mr. Oyamada

started the medication treatment for Ribbon's heart disease.

He has never missed

the monthly health check-up either.

Let me tell you.

Recently they went to Miss Izumi's shop to get a haircut.

Ribbon looks more spirited than before.

The medicine is working, it seems to be doing quite well.

Really? That's great.

It will surely live a long life…

Mr. Niwa.

Autumn is almost over.

Right, Ribbon?

It's me.

I must tell you that

Ribbon

has a heart disease.

It's already been examined.

It will be given medication later

to slow down the progression of the disease.

If anything happens, I'll call you.

That's all.

Dear.

Thank you for what you've done for us.

You must be hungry.

Let's go home, Ribbon.

Hey.

You can't overexert yourself

just because the medicine made you feel lighter.

Take it slow, Ribbon.

That's right, slowly.

From now on, let's walk together slowly.

(Next Episode: It's All My Fault)