Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Monday Mischief

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My heart was heavy when we left for our walk yesterday and I was looking forward to just enjoying the nice weather with Sampson and Delilah.

We started out in the field and they got some zoomies on, then the other side of the field was calling them so I headed off in the opposite direction.  They quickly joined me.

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I’ve been avoiding the back portion of the trails as some of them are fairly steep on their own and made even more treacherous with snow and ice on them.  It was a nice spring-like day though, so I opted for the steeper trails to give the dogs a change of smellery.

Delilah was doing super well off-leash until we came to the area close to the rail trail (a very popular walking/jogging/biking trail,) at that point she blew off her recall and ran out onto the trail.

I kept calling her and I started to head down when I realized she was going farther away.  She was very close to having access to 8.5 miles of blazed trails and so I turned around and headed back towards the field.  After about a minute or so (it seemed like 10) she ran back to me and then she was leashed for the rest of the walk.

As we got close to one of the two entrances to the trail, I noticed someone walking in with Tia the GSD on leash,  I called Sampson to me and leashed him up as well.

Delilah’s leash is 15 feet and Sampson’s is just a tad shorter, so maybe 13 feet.  I find it extremely difficult to walk two dogs on leash.

One heads this way, the other heads that way and then they switch. They did this just as we entered one of the trails.

I took my eyes off the trail to look at their leashes and in the process I missed seeing a branch that was sticking out.

I face planted.

Not like last year on New Year’s Eve where I lost my footing and scrambled to keep from falling.

Not like that at all.

One second my left foot hit the branch and the next second my face hit the ground.

It happened that fast.

My left knee, my right wrist and my mouth took the brunt of the fall.

Immediately I tasted blood and using my tongue inspected my teeth to insure I hadn’t loosened or broken any.  When my face displaced the snow, some of it splashed up on my glasses, and both gloves were wet so I couldn’t wipe them off.

When I fell I dropped Sampson’s leash.  The uncaring oaf Thankfully he just stood there staring out into the woods.  Delilah rushed to my side and stuck her face in mine.

Needless to say the walk didn’t accomplish what I’d set out to do, I cried all the way home and am now sporting a fat lip and a bruised wrist.

How was YOUR weekend? 🙂

This is the Monday Mischief Blog Hop, hosted by Alfie’s Blog, Snoopys’ Blog and My Brown Newfies and Luna a Dog’s Life.

Waist Not, Want Not

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Back in July of 2008, Delilah had what we referred to as an episode, it was the first of three.  I won’t write about it here because it’s quite lengthy, but you can read it about on the page titled “Delilah’s Health,” which is nested under the “Cast of Characters” page.  I warn you now, it’s not my best writing, but I haven’t yet had the time to go in to make it presentable.

Eventually with the help of a wonderful Holistic Veterinarian, Dr. Kevin Landau, we determined it was not seizures as our vet suspected, but a pinched nerve due to her excessive weight.

The date was March 31, 2010 and she weighed 96.5 pounds.

after-treatment You can see how heavy she is in this photo, (this was after Dr. Landau’s treatment.)

To help her lose weight Dr. Landau suggested the raw food diet.  Sampson was heavy as well and there was no way I was putting one dog on raw food and not the other.

July 2010 056 This photo of Sampson was taken in July 17, 2010 he weighed 107 pounds.

At first expense was a real issue, so we started out feeding the dogs one raw meal per day, with the second meal being Taste of the Wild, a grain free kibble.

I also set up a rigid schedule of walking at least 30 minutes per day and longer on the weekends.  It helped that the field at the top of the street gives them lots of off-leash running, which helped the weight come off.

When Delilah went for her annual exam in June of 2010, she weighed in at 94.8 pounds.  Sampson’s annual exam was in October and he weighed 103.4.

In April of 2011, we went totally raw and we’ve never looked back.

That June, Delilah weighed in at 77.1 pounds, in October of the same year Sampson weighed in at 86.5 pounds.

We took Sampson with us when Delilah went for her annual in June of 2012 (moral support) Delilah weighed 74 pounds and Sampson weighed 89.  Our vet was over the moon.  She told us what a great job we’d done and said, we’ve probably given them 2 to 3 additional years of life.

Music to my ears and fuzzies for my heart.

They look great, but even better, they FEEL great.  You can see their increased energy and they run like puppies, which is amazing to see in dogs that are 7 and 8 1/2.

We are incredibly lucky in the fact that the distribution facility where we purchase our food has a dog nutritionist. Based upon Sandy’s calculations we feed them for what we want them to weigh, in this manner the weight comes off slowly and is more likely to remain off.

Normally their treats are carrots and a couple of grain free cookies, but I think we’ve been a little indulgent with the cookies, so I’m cutting their food back a teensy bit.

Here’s what we feed them.

Chicken necks with Welactin on them and about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin for breakfast.

Ground turkey with veggies, a tablespoon of coconut oil, a probiotic and 1/8 to 1/4 cup of yogurt for dinner.

For snacks and training they mostly get baby carrots, but I do have banana chips and some chicken and brown rice sticks that I buy at Trader Joe’s.

At night they get the stuffed white bone (more on that for Tasty Tuesday.)  I did buy a bag of treats at the local warehouse and I think Hubby indulges those a little too much, hence the reason I am cutting back a bit on their food.

It’s hard to get a picture of their waists

Especially Delilah with her dark coloring.  I can see them clearly defined but it doesn’t show well in the pictures.

D-1 Can you see the cut in?  She kept trying to sit down, which is why I’m holding her back-end up.

D-2 Maybe it’s a little bit clearer here.

S1 Sampson was a little bit easier, but that’s only because he is so barrel chested.

S-2 He kept sitting down too, in his case I think it worked to my advantage.

I can’t see their ribs, but I’m working on that!  I love these two like crazy and want them with me and healthy as long as possible.

Show Off Your Dog's Waistline

This is a year-long blog hop hosted by Dawg Business, I will be back when the hop is over with a recap on how well we did losing those last few pounds.

You can see how others are helping their dogs become fit and healthy, as well as getting some awesome tips to help your pups lose weight by clicking on the links below.

Many thanks to Jana for creating and organizing this event.

Give Me Sanctuary

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Back before Delilah joined our pack, Hubby, Sampson and I hiked every weekend. With Delilah it was just too hard. She pulled and lunged and I basically gave it up.

I was determined though, to get back to hiking again because Sampson and I love it so.

When we moved to our current house one of the draws was the surrounding trails.

Just about two years ago, I started walking the dogs in the small park at the top of the street.

If you’re a long time follower, you know we’ve had some highs and lows up there, but for the most part Delilah has been doing well.

I must have been a pioneer in another life because I began to think it was time for a change of scenery.

Hubby and I discussed it and he agreed to hike with us last weekend.

I’d heard some nice things about a place called Belding Wildlife Management Area, a spot not too far from where we live. So Sunday afternoon we loaded the dogs in the car and off we went.

I was hoping there would be an area where I could let Delilah off leash for some run time, so I didn’t put her harness on her.

**Note to self, when taking your dog to a new area full of new smells, be sure she wears her harness.**

There were more people than I cared for, so she stayed on leash and dragged me all over creation.

Belding Wildlife Management Area

 

A marker with a little bit of history on it.

 

POND

Almost as soon as we entered the trailed area, we came upon a pond. There was a couple with a free running dog on the other side.  They grabbed the dog and said, “He’s friendly.”  I was more concerned with Delilah going for a swim so on we trudged.

Chimney

This fireplace is all that remains of a cabin the Belding family used on their trips to the property.  The cabin burned down in 2001.

Hubby saw a stream and wanted to check it out, I couldn’t get a picture because my hands were full of chocolate.  She was actually whining, she wanted in so bad.

Decorated Trees

We followed the trail and I noticed something in the trees off to my left.  I crossed the stream and found a small cluster of trees that someone had decorated festively.

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There was probably about ten decorated trees in all.  An unexpected holiday surprise in the middle of the woods.

Rivendale

We stayed on the main trail and walked clear to the other side of the sanctuary where we discovered a waterfall.

Looking

There was a random chunk of rock, it’s a bad positioning of Sampson because he’s in front of the piece of rock that’s colored similar to the way he is.

Mist

On the way back I had to get a picture of the fog that hung low over the ground, illuminated by the sun poking through the trees.

As we passed close to the stream, Delilah managed to jump in just long enough to get herself wet.  She was too quick for the camera.  When she came out I looked at her and asked, “Are you happy now?”

She was.

How do your dogs do when they are out exploring new places?  Are they tuggers?  How do you work a dog in a new area full of smells and still keep it enjoyable for both of you?

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