It feels "normal" to have dogs at the door to the garage waiting to "go" because they have heard Dave or I move the truck out. We haven't had much sense of "normal" for the past several weeks, and have been redefining it as we go. Stetson is getting used to our routines, but he hasn't been able to figure out some of the more obvious routines that Maddie has experienced for years here. He happily comes to the door when we bring the harnesses in, but he hadn't yet associated the movement of the truck with a pending activity that he would be a part of. See, we can't open the tailgate of the Enclave in the garage because it's too tall and will actually bang into the garage door overhead - so to load dogs (or anything else in the back end), the truck has to be moved out. That being said, the only reason we typically move the truck out before we leave is if we're taking dogs somewhere. So when we exit the door to the garage and the truck gets moved out, it is assumed by the canines in this house that they are going someplace. They don't care where, but they are going. He hadn't put the movement of the truck in relation to activity together; at least not until yesterday. I happened to be passing through the entry when I caught a glimpse of the "anticipation".
I'm glad I captured that moment, it meant a lot to me. He put me at ease and I felt a little weight lifted off my shoulders when I understood that he not only "gets" what we do, but he anticipates it eagerly. The whole morning was comfortable; I felt like I was healing and letting go a little.
We finished the 3.1 miles at the river by taking the full loop (which includes a little larger gravel on the path) so he would have a little exposure on his pads to a rougher surface. It was the 4th time we did three miles together this week. The jog/walks in the neighborhood are a little mundane in comparison to the activity on the trails at the river, I think he's a little bored with the runs in the neighborhood, can't blame him I get bored too sometimes.
Maddie tired to a fast walk on the last third of the trail. She rocks, she'll be 13 years old in a few weeks and I can still say "she's not for whimps". She'll drag you down for the joy of a squirrel or chipmunk chase. Stetson wasn't tired, but he wasn't impatient with the change of pace either. He's ready for more distance, and I'm longing to increase mileage too.
We will increase distance this week on two of our three jog/walks. We are both ready to take another step forward in our runs.
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| Watching the door and listening to the truck moving out of the garage |
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| We're going, right???????? |
We finished the 3.1 miles at the river by taking the full loop (which includes a little larger gravel on the path) so he would have a little exposure on his pads to a rougher surface. It was the 4th time we did three miles together this week. The jog/walks in the neighborhood are a little mundane in comparison to the activity on the trails at the river, I think he's a little bored with the runs in the neighborhood, can't blame him I get bored too sometimes.
Maddie tired to a fast walk on the last third of the trail. She rocks, she'll be 13 years old in a few weeks and I can still say "she's not for whimps". She'll drag you down for the joy of a squirrel or chipmunk chase. Stetson wasn't tired, but he wasn't impatient with the change of pace either. He's ready for more distance, and I'm longing to increase mileage too.
We will increase distance this week on two of our three jog/walks. We are both ready to take another step forward in our runs.
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