--- title: Old pets: grey muzzles, slow walks and saying goodbye — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Old pets: grey muzzles, slow walks and saying goodbye», a lesson of the biology course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: A dog that bounced around when you started school may have a grey muzzle, stiff legs and cloudy eyes by the time you --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/) / Old pets: grey muzzles, slow walks and… # Old pets: grey muzzles, slow walks and saying goodbye Lesson 328 of the biology course of Mova's primary school: 17 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/). - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/1/) — A dog that bounced around when you started school may have a grey muzzle, stiff legs and cloudy eyes by the time you finish primary school. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/4/) — She does not cry or limp, because cats hide pain well, so that missing jump may be the only sign that her joints hurt. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/5/) — One day a very ill old pet may be suffering with no cure, and the vet and family may choose to put it to sleep gently and without pain. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/6/) — Feeling very sad afterwards is normal, because a pet is part of the family. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/7/) — Like human hair, a dog's fur loses its colour with age, and dogs count as older from about seven or eight, with big breeds ageing sooner. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/8/) — Many old dogs have stiff, sore joints called arthritis; shorter, gentler walks, soft beds, ramps and medicine from the vet help. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/9/) — Cats hide pain well, so not jumping onto high places is often the only sign of sore joints; in the wild a cat that showed pain could be attacked. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/10/) — An old dog's cloudy blue eyes often mean the lens has just hardened with age and the dog can still see, but sometimes it is a cataract that blocks sight, so the vet checks. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/11/) — Blind dogs manage well using their noses if the furniture stays in the same place. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/12/) — Many old dogs slowly lose their hearing, so hand signals and gentle touches work instead of shouting, and deaf dogs may get a fright if woken suddenly. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/13/) — One dog year does not equal seven human years: a dog's first year is more like 15 human years, then ageing slows, and small dogs usually live longer than big dogs. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/14/) — Among different kinds of animal, bigger ones usually live longer, so big dogs living shorter lives than small dogs is a puzzle scientists still study. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/15/) — A dog called Bluey in Australia was reported to live over 29 years, and a cat called Creme Puff in the USA was reported to live 38 years; these are rare records. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/16/) — Many old pets have tartar, a hard brown crust on the teeth, and sore gums, bad teeth can stop a pet eating, and a grown cat has 30 teeth, of which an old cat may have lost several. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/17/) — When an illness cannot be fixed and a pet is in pain, the vet can put it to sleep gently and without pain; the family decides together with the vet, and it is a kind choice. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/18/) — Missing a pet is normal; talking, drawing, a photo book or planting a tree can help, and other pets in the home may seem sad too. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/328-old-pets-grey-muzzles-slow-walks-and-saying-goodbye/19/) — Older animals often wait the longest at rescue centres, though they are usually calm, trained and happy with a quiet life. - ← previous: [A kitten at home: litter trays, scratching posts and play](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/327-a-kitten-at-home-litter-trays-scratching-posts-and-play/) - next →: [Tortoises, lizards and geckos as pets: heat, light and washing hands](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/329-tortoises-lizards-and-geckos-as-pets-heat-light-and-washing-hands/) - ↑ back to [Biology](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/)