Walking Toward A Run

So many mixed emotions were running through my veins tonight while we walked the dogs tonight. 

Stetson kept pace with Maddie for the first time since he has been here.  I have been a little worried about our long term distance future when watching him lag behind my bitch that is almost 13 years old, especially when I see his lead is slack and she's pulling rather hard on the lead with Dave.  There have been moments of poise on the flat with him so far, but hills prove to be as much of a challenge for him as they are me, until tonight.

On this walk he kept pace and had the lead by a nose for most of the walk.  His head was up and he had an air of alertness about him I haven't seen yet.  I would say he mastered the hills on our route, but we were walking; so I'll stick with he was significantly improved.  He had a kind of surety, of confidence, that "this" is what he was supposed to do.  He seemed in control of himself and his environment for the first time.

We are walking mostly now, but I can see the run is coming.  About the time I finally put my observations into words, we turned a corner and my face was instantly chilled by a brush with a cold wind.  My thoughts raced to "Mira would have loved a run on a night like tonight..." and I choked back tears.  Indeed, she would have loved it, I will always remember her, especially when cold air jolts me into gratitude for life in the South.  I am so grateful that Stetson has stepped up and is quickly moving toward a run, somehow it makes her memory sweeter.

Keeping Hydrated :)

 

All Doors Are Open

AKC/ASCA CH Rista I Got My Stetson of Coolmoor

 We have so many doors before us to explore with Stetson.   I have been working with him and learning about him this week and trying to decide what we should consider pursuing together in addition to running.

Naturally, I am curious to see if he has good herding instinct.  I just can't imagine having a gorgeous dog like this in my home and not finding out if what he was bred to do makes him tick.  We have a date with Amy and some livestock next Sunday.  She is his co-breeder and has had him at her home for the past year and a half or so.  Luckily, she also has livestock and hopefully enough patience to guide Stetson and I through the very raw beginning of this adventure.  I'm okay if he doesn't have the right stuff for the job, I'm actually used to finding an alternative for a dog that just didn't get turned on by the job they were bred to do.  But I'm terribly excited to find out what's behind that particular door.

I stood at the back door earlier this week and watched him shoot across the yard like a bolt of lightening after a squirrel on the fence and had to pick my jaw up from the floor.  He is gorgeous when he moves.  He'll never have the opportunity to run full out with me on the other end of the leash.  It's not humanly possible to run that fast, not even for a minute.  Dave and I talked about the possibilities of an activity that would give him the opportunity to use his body and speed like that.  We thought of agility of course, and I'm tossing around finding someone who can meet him and evaluate a possibility for some Frisbee play.  I just can't help myself when I see a beautiful dog in motion, it is stimulating and relaxing at the same time for me.  I need to pursue that at some level and find a way to give him an opportunity to use that beauty (besides squirrel hunter).

Stetson has a great stand - I mean it is solid.  Of course we need him to learn to sit and down and do some other basic obedience commands.  Since "sit" is typically the easiest of the basics to teach, I began working it first this week.  The dog will stretch his neck back over his spine and almost start a back bend in pursuit of a cookie, but he will not for one second lower those haunches and put his butt on the floor.   Instead of being frustrated with the situation, I quickly realized that it could be beneficial to us, if we were going to pursue some obedience titles.  Mira would flatten her ears, wag her tail and bounce to whoever was going to examine her so this solid stand is looking pretty sweet to me.  It didn't take long for me to redirect and teach a down first. I figured once he was down and we were solid with that, I could take him up to a sit from the down position...and we would work "stay" in with both commands as we go.  It's working great!  He will "down" and we have begun to work on "stay" as well.  The exciting thing about this is that his "down" is straight, he doesn't roll onto either hip, and that is a pretty piece of precision I want to capitalize on if I decide to pursue obedience titles.  Obedience is new to me, so I see some classes in our future.  Maybe what I see as potential isn't, but I hope I am right.

I started to look up Versatility on the AKC website yesterday evening, but decided my head was already spinning with options.  The one activity that is mandatory between us, is running.  He is here primarily because I am determined to have a dog alongside me on trails and at night on the road.  His endurance is building, but best of all he seems to have grasped the association between sneakers on my feet and a fabulous adventure.  This is one door that I know how do get through and I'm glad he's open to the adventure.

 

 

Big Strides and Big Mistakes

Stetson did his first three miler today.  The four of us walked a mile and a half.  Then Stetson and I went off as a twosome to make a second loop finishing three miles total. It is the first time I have worn my heart rate monitor when I had him out. Up to now, it hasn't seemed to matter what my time was or what zone I was in, but I need to begin to gauge how I am working comparitively it to where I need to be for "normal".  I was in a low zone two with his pace today.  That will be great for fat burning, and it is a fabulous place to be to build endurance, so I'm not going to complain.  This phase of conditioning him will serve me well and probably keep me from getting some stupid injury that normal people with self control could prevent on their own.



Stetson recovering after our run this morning

Madison recovering after our run this morning



















In the past two days he has begun to understand our stretching routine.  His spine is the most flexible thing I've ever seen on a dog.  He turns his head back to his tail/stump willingly on either side for a nice long stretch.  Naturally, Stetson stretches better than any other dog we've had upon waking.  It is normal for him to stretch his front shoulders (bowing motion) and then to bring his neck up and back.  I'm glad he already takes good care of himself!  I have begun to work with his feet and can stretch every toe and each foot well.  He will let me stretch from his shoulder and hip joints pretty well, but we have some work to do no the hock and pastern areas.  I'm impressed with what he is willing to let me do at this point in our relationship.  We both had a deep need to bond quickly, it seems to be taking shape.

Along with the good/great comes the bad...  I made a big mistake this week, but we have rebounded and it hardly seems we missed a beat in spite of me.  Hindsight is 20/20 and I would gladly have paid a handsome sum to have thought this out rationally and prevented it from happening to begin with.  But I didn't...

Sunday night I decided Stetson was too noisy in his crate for me to sleep peaceably.  He twirled, he panted, he got a drink of water, he'd bump his water bucket... He did nothing bad or wrong, but I didn't rest well and I let my hormones rule my brain when I sleepily decided the next day he could sleep loose in the bedroom with us (although not in the bed).  We had him in our home for less than 36 hours and I'm giving him freedom in the bedroom overnight.  I knew it wasn't a great idea, but I figured he might chew something or mark something and somehow I convinced myself that he'd been far more trustworthy in those two regards than expected, so let's give it a try.

So Monday rolls around and we proceed to buy a nice pad for Stetson to lay on the floor next to my side of the bed.  That night he takes to it pretty well, moves it around a bit and wads it up, but he seemed content.  Tuesday morning we had a happy dog who greeted us to go outside with full body wiggles.  Tuesday night begins with the same non-issue turn in "routine".  But at 5 am on Wednesday morning Dave and I are panic stricken as we are awakened by a horrible growl and Maddie screaming.  Thankfully, between her scream and us both yelling, the noise between the two of them ended immediately.  Both dogs went into the living room and Dave and I began to examine them for damage.  Stetson was assessed and we found no sign of wounds.  I found a small tuft of hair near the closet door and quickly located a tiny bald spot on the side of Maddie's head.  It was pink, but not bloody; thankfully only a graze of a tooth.  A few minutes later I noticed some hair on the the top of her head parted oddly.  After further investigation I discovered another graze (maybe 1/4 inch long) with a puncture at one end.  She wasn't bleeding, although there was fresh blood around the wound and she didn't seem to mind my fingering around the open sore.

Long story short, Madison ended up with a puncture wound that scraped down her head for about a 1/4 inch and another small graze.  No stitches were necessary and she sat like a little champion while Dr. Smith shaved the hair away so she could clean it and let it heal.  She is the sweetest girl!

Besides being worried about Madison physically, we were also challenged to figure out if this was a deal breaker for Stetson at the house.  I was not trying to "under" react to the situation, but I knew that the fault and blame for this was on me.  It's a really hard spot to be in to know that you may have made a stupid decision that could change the entire life choice you had only a day before made.  My gut was torn.  With Stetson being an in tact male and Maddie an altered female we knew he wouldn't have any lasting emotional drama from the event, unless we freaked out.  I knew within two minutes of the outbreak that the problem was he had probably never lived in an environment where something/someone might step on him or stick their nose where it doesn't belong while he was in a deep sleep.  He came to us as a beautiful finished Champion, but from growing up in a kennel environment.  Household living and ways were new to him, and I had just pushed him over the edge.

We left the vet's office knowing that if this was going to work now, it would be up to Maddie to "get over it".  If she was going to "get over it" we were going to have to first.  So Dave and I decided to leave it there and move forward without looking back from that moment.

Yesterday evening went without issue, although they were both being very polite to each other; turning heads away and not sneaking up to get a butt whiff when the other one wasn't looking... 

We got out answer about the future of us as a foursome while on the walk this morning.  Thanks to an overflowing recyle bin and a dog who just can't resist snooping about other people's trash, I think we are going to work this out.  As Madison appraoched the bin at the end of a neighbor's drive, she blew her nose to the bin as Dave said "leave it" and then she flipped toward Stetson, nose to nose, head lowered, ears back and I swear I heard her say "look, if we're ever going to be able to get any trash from the neighbors we're going to have to work together, okay?"   The dogs are "over it" in the best of ways.

Stetson - Poop Bag Terrorism

We took Stetson and Maddie to the river today.  I figured it would be a good opportunity to proof squirrels and maybe see some bicycles.

He has no issue with bicycles.  Those we met on-coming he barely even noticed.   I heard a couple approaching from behind at one point and was able to turn so he saw them before they were on us, at any rate he didn't seem to even be curious about them.  We saw a few kids in strollers and he didn't pay attention to those either.

There were plenty of squirrels and he was much easier to reign in than Maddie (no big surprise, bouncing silly dog that she is).  I have felt the power of him lunging at speed to the end of the leash and am doing my best to make darn sure I am alert, thus able to stay safe.  Falling on him would be worse for him than me.

But maybe all that "calmness" was because he spent his adrenaline almost immediately upon leaving the parking area and beginning the path.  I forgot to reload poop bags in the truck after we were out Monday, so we stopped at the dispenser at the trail head to get three or four.  Dave had Stetson and I had Maddie.  Dave reached up to pull a bag out of the dispenser and the whole pole seemed to lean over him and then the roll of bags began flying out of it.  Stetson took a half look up at the monstrosity heading his way and hit the end of his lead hard.  I'm amazed Dave's shoulder isn't sore this evening from the sudden jerk.

Thankfully I decided to use a tracking harness on Stetson when he first arrived, knowing that if he spooked and slipped a flat collar we were not going to be his safety net for some time yet.  I was afraid he would get away and we'd lose him.  The harness and Gripper Leash (love those leashes) held him while Dave managed to unwrap some poop bags to stow away and we were off.


Rest well little buddy, it's been a big day!

 

Stetson - Training Day 2

Our second day to train together was successful.  His feet felt good today and I think the decision to work on asphalt was beneficial to help minimize the soreness he showed yesterday.  We are both learning about each other and how to make this new relationship work. 

I learned today that:

1. I will keep him reigned in at 4 feet or less until I have had an opportunity to proof him on squirrels (we haven't seen a bunny yet).  He is strong and FAST - easy to get under control, but you have to be ready for the explosion.  The short lead gives me a little more power.
2. I am now responsible for the pace.  Sounds stupid, but it is huge!  Mira had limits this summer with heat and humidity that kept her to a specific pace.  It was more distance than you would ask a dog that wasn't conditioned, yet it was appropriately limited by weather conditions and it was a slow steady training run pace.  Stetson isn't going to flip me off and do what works for him, he proved that today - I set the pace.  He eagerly let me go out as fast as I wanted (which was too fast of course) but he was just as gracious to slow down when I realized my error.  Unfortunately, my self control is lacking and I tend to go out too fast and burn out and ultimately end up getting overuse injuries...  I am now officially in charge of me and that's a perspective I haven't been consumed with before. 
3. He wants the road.  Mira ran the gutter or the edge of the curb, Maddie has always preferred the road also.  Mira had the toughest feet/pads of any dog we have ever owned, I was always amazed that the gravel and sand in the gutter didn't bother her.  His pads will toughen up as time goes on, but my guess is he'll always prefer the road; we'll see.  I don't care what surface they prefer, but when we are a foursome, we'll have to be more cognizant of traffic if we have two dogs on asphalt.



Walking into an office full of trophies and memorabilia dedicated to our Siberian Huskies, he doesn't seem to mind or notice that he's an oddball.

Stetson had a couple of lessons with regular things today as well:

1. Garage Doors - they open and close, but the motors controlling that process are noisy.  He is amazing to me.  The first time we went out and came back (via control panel on the outside of the door) he was alert and wanted to bolt, but the second time out and back, he actually tried to get into the garage before the door was up just like all our other dogs ever have.  He has some initial "fear" of new noises and things, but he rebounds so well and is such a great trooper to try new things!
2. Squirrel chasing is for the yard, not the road.  He took to the lesson quickly, I hope it sticks and we don't have to reteach it every run.



Love the freckles on Stetson's face
 

 One day at a time and a lesson at a time. 

Stetson - Training Day 1

We picked the handsome Stetson up from his breeder yesterday morning at 7 am.  We spent the day getting used to each other and exposing him to household stuff; refrigerator doors opening, grocery bags rattling while we put groceries away, sliding glass doors that are apparently very creepy and a Siberian who has a big mouth and the worst possible timing to bark and play bow.  Although he gets surprised easily, he rebounds very quickly when something new and/or noisey is happening and comes back to inquire further about whatever is happening.  I don't mind caution, if it is followed by curiosity and he is displaying a healthy dose of caution but learns quickly that things are really okay.  So far we aren't having to repeat many lessons.


Today began his training to be my running partner.  I put together all the gear from our other dogs; Mira's crates, Nakeeta's harness, Magic's collar and Kody's leather leash (which is being changed to Mira's pink gripper lead after David described his squirrel chasing abilities).





Hand me down equipment

We went to East Cobb Park in order to expose him to an ash trail as well as a wooded trail that's not too long.  He has a couple of pads that are sore right now, so we have to take it slower than I had expected.

We didn't cross any squirrels or other wildlife so I still don't know how he'll be in that situation.  He only occasionally pulled on the harness.  All I had to do was apply a little pressure and he willingly backed off the tug.  He would actually be a great option for Dave when we have the dogs together; Maddie may be on the edge of 13 years and she doesn't have much endurance left, but she'll take you out if you're not careful.

The trail was short, but it was a good start to what I believe will be a long and fulfilling relationship of trails and roads together.

We'll probably do a short walk tonight in the neighborhood and continue to monitor his pads.  Now he is laying on the office floor behind me while I write.  His willingness to trust us and try is very rewarding.

From Solo to Duet

The way we were
 

Mira left us on November 8th, 2012.  We noticed a disturbing breathing pattern on Wednesday evening and less than 24 hours later she was gone.  After extensive testing in search of diagnosis, it was presumed to be Hemangiosarcoma, a particularly aggressive and lethal form of cancer.  Her cancer appeared to have started around the heart and metastasized to the lungs.  There was nothing we could do for her other than to free her from this time space reality and the disease that was taking her life before our eyes.  I sobbed into her luxurious coat and Dave stroked her head as her spirit floated away.

For quite some time before last week, we had decided to welcome a third dog into our home and lives.  Mira was approaching 8 years and Maddie is on the edge of 13 years.  Because I run, I needed to begin to think about how to transition from an able bodied distance partner (Mira) to a younger partner.  We tossed rescue around, we looked at puppies and we were digging into breed options - I wasn't quite sure I wanted another Siberian right now, somehow I thought I might want to experience a different breed.  After many conversations and much research Dave and I both continued to return to the Siberian and we decided to go for a puppy and started talking with the our friend and the breeder of Mira and Magic.  It was set, we were on the list and I actually had picked out two sets of registered and call names for our "puppy to be".  Now all we had to do was wait.

Then Mira left unexpectedly and I find myself without a running partner and Maddie is without canine companionship for the first time in her entire life (we co-bred the litter she came from and they were whelped it our home in Kansas City).

I admit we were in a panic of sorts, between worry for Maddie's enrichment and my own need to have a canine running partner for companionship and safety.  So we began to review our options, again.  We ruled out an adult Siberian rescue, for our purposes, a young puppy that we can mold and bond with from 8 to 10 weeks works best.  We ruled out any rescue other than something that had been fostered in a home environment we trusted to be able to evaluate because we have an older dog in the house that we didn't want stressed unnecessarily  Then there was the puppy option; although a puppy might spark some excitement for Maddie, I would be running solo for 18 - 24 months in order to allow proper growth and maturity thus reducing injury and/or permanent damage of a young dog's body. Solo runs at night and on trails were not an option in my eyes or in Dave's.  So we were brought back to seeking an adult.

We spoke with a breeder of Australian Shepherds that we had previously considered a young adult from and set up a meeting to see him.   It was pretty much love at first sight for Dave and the boy; I was smitten without much further delay.

"Stetson" is lovely, kind, sweet, and looking for a job and people to claim as his own.  We pick him up Saturday and bring him to meet Maddie.  If they like each other and he works out otherwise, we will be back to two dogs and I'll have my running partner (once he is conditioned) again.  Maybe I'll nick name him Duet in her memory, and anticipation of what we will grow to be together. I wish I had a picture to post of him. His eyes are deep and his heart is open; hopefully all that fits into a great match for the four of us.

Mira will be forever missed, she truly gave me wings beneath my feet and patiently guided me along paths and roads that I would never have dreamed of jogging solo.



 

Stretching My Dog

I meant to post this two weeks ago and the time has gotten away from me.  Not all for the good, but nonetheless, the time has gone by.  I have stretched my dogs for many years before and after agility runs and post road/trail runs.  I thought something was lacking, so I enlisted the assistance of the professionals who care for my dogs medically and they helped me learn to stretch them one joint at a time.  Okay, honestly I stretched Mira - Maddie I hold a foot and if it goes well, I reward her...we'll get there eventually :)

Beginning with the toes, we stretched each one gently and move up the leg; at this point I am working on her shoulder



Having finished the front leg, I've begun the toes on the rear; she's relaxed and very happy!

 



Remember when you are stretching yourself after a workout, your dogs need the same opportunity. 

2 Strikes of Aggression

Today was unfortunately the 2nd strike against a specific aggressive dog in the past 6 months - I have no patience and I have no apologies for my lack of tolerance.

A few months ago while riding our bikes we had a neighbor walking her dog who took out after me on the bike and she laughed as she said "Lilly, you can't have the biker..."  I stopped and let her have it verbally.  She puller her dog in (flexi lead) and that was that.

This is Sunday, long run day...Dave and I took Mira and Maddie for a mile and half, then I finished three with Mira.  After I dropped her back at the house because it was humid and relatively warm for a Siberian, I took out for three miles solo.

I got winded on my second run  up Inlet and began walking.  I saw a woman walking two dogs ahead of me.  As I always do, I called out to see if the dog were friendly...she said if I were running Lilly, the lab would chase me.  So I took the opposite side of the road and walked slower...  We chatted as she told me about Lilly and how they had her in training because she liked to chase runners and bikes.  As I passed (again, other side of the road and walking slowly), she said "look, she likes you..."

I didn't know the dog was right behind me, apparently moron owner let the flexi extend.  The next thing I hear before I even see the dog (still walking mind you) is a growl, I feel the sting of the bite and hear my shorts rip to almost the waist.  Much cussing from me, apologies from her...and I demand she get the flexi pulled in so I can get the hell away from them.  At that flashing moment, I recognize the eyes of the dog, and remember this is the idiot owner with the dog that chased me on my bike a few months back.  Now I'm boiling mad and as I trot off putting distance between us, I demand to know if the dog is current on shots and she promises she is. I then made her point out her house before I hustled down the road.

Because I'm a typical freak runner, I look at the wound, decide I'm not bleeding much and it's going to be bruised more than anything, so I may as well finish the run rather than turning for home.  I made the turn for my last mile and there's this woman next to me in her vehicle with the receipt and rabies certificate for Lilly...  I slowed down, looked at her and said, "that's fine, but I'm reporting this.";  "why, why would you do that?" she asks.   I muttered "because it's the right thing to do, you know you have an aggression issue"  At which time she says, "they aren't going to do anything with her" and I said, "it doesn't matter, I'm reporting this, she bit me, it cannot go unreported it is aggression".    With that she drove off.

When Animal Control came to the house to take my statement we discussed medical treatment...and I told him I'd already cleaned it up, I've had my Tdap vaccine very recently and we agreed I was good to not seek additional medical care.  He was going to go get Lilly and begin her quarantine this afternoon.  I will get a  call when the quarantine is over to let me know if the dog has been returned...  I expect it will, unless they owner elects to not pay the boarding fees for quarantine.

I know there are risks that I take when I leave for a run or a ride or for that matter a swim.  I understand I may get hurt, maybe badly, but I am unwilling to excuse a true aggression issue.  This was a cheap shot by the dog and the owner didn't have to be so stupid about it.  I have battled the decision to report it all afternoon.  I keep pushing guilt down and fighting it with reason, with my desire to be safe in my neighborhood and for my neighbors and their animals and children to be safe.