New adventures in familiar places.

I love Summer because the warmer temperatures and extra daylight allow me more time to get outside and enjoy time with the girls during the week, and this week, we have been taking full advantage it.  However, as we progress through this year, I am finding that Maddie is slowing down more and more and has been unable to keep up with us on longer adventures.  She has a more pronounced limp due to her arthritis and she has been having some other issues which have me concerned that something a little more serious may be going on with her.  When Peaches visited Dr. Jason a couple of weeks ago, I discussed some of my concerns about Maddie with him, and he and I agreed that it would make sense for me to bring her in for a visit. 

So on Tuesday morning, Maddie and I headed out to see our friends at Patterson Veterinary Hospital.  We were welcomed by the regular staff who were all very happy to see Maddie and spent some time spoiling her before we went into the exam room.  While Maddie loves to get attention and treats from all of her friends there, she is not a fan of the actual check-up.  She had a full exam, ear-cleaning, nail-trim, and blood drawn, and I can't emphasize enough how thankful I am for the awesome staff who are so kind and gentle with my little old lady while they basically have to wrestle her to do anything.  I was thankful to learn that her heart and lungs sound healthy and that her arthritis is nothing out of the ordinary for a dog of her age.   We are now waiting for the results of the blood tests to see if there are any indications of more serious issues.  We should know more Monday or Tuesday, and while I have some concerns, I have been trying to stay positive and not worry until I know more.  

After Maddie's appointment with the vet, I spent the rest of the day working from home.  While Maddie was exhausted from her morning, Peaches was excited to have me home so she could spend some time out in the backyard.  She spent most of the morning sniffing, exploring, and running around, and finally decided it was time for a nap in the sun.  She really loves to be outside and I try to allow her as much time as possible to fully enjoy it. 

Tuesday night, Maddie had recovered enough to take a short walk with us before I brought her home and continued on with Peaches.  Since it was a hot and humid night, I didn't want to over do the exercise, so we stopped at a local park and continued working on Peaches' off-leash listening.  This playground set was an extra challenge for her because of the changing textures and some of the climbs.  But I'm trying to improve her confidence in those areas.  It was great to have the opportunity to spend a little one on one time with her.  I have a feeling that this will be a more regular occurrence for us going forward.

As is normal for my Wednesday night, I spent it volunteering at the shelter.  It's always a good way to spend some time.  Baxter really enjoyed his time out of the shelter.  What I love most about my time with these dogs is the pure joy they experience during their time out of the shelter. 

Thursday night, I was able to sneak Peaches out of the house with me for a walk while Maddie was sound asleep.  Her hearing isn't what it used to be, thankfully, because this gave me a chance to get Peaches out for a good long walk.  It is also amazing to me how much better she walks when she is the only dog with me.  I really enjoyed our time together.  We made sure to stop at home to get Maddie out for a short walk with us as the sun set because she still enjoys a good walk too.

It has become part of our normal routine to spend at least one night a week downtown around the Capitol Complex, and Friday night seemed like a great night to head that way.  It was warm and humid and I knew we wouldn't be able to walk far with Maddie, but that's what makes this an ideal place for a walk.  I can park close by and wander around the Capitol and it's a new adventure every time.  With so many people walking in that area every day there is always something new for the girls to sniff, and the squirrel and bird population in the area keeps Peaches on her toes.  In addition, we will generally run into at least one person who stops to ask if they can pet the girls and they both enjoy getting a little love. 

It was a quiet night downtown, but there were a few couples walking around and we were approached by a nice lady who asked if she could say hello, and of course, I said yes.  Peaches wiggled and wiggled while Maddie stood patiently for a couple of pats on the head.  As the couple talked to me I realized that they weren't from the area(they were Southerners) and they were in town for a visit.  I had a brief moment wondering why in the world someone would spend their vacation traveling to Lansing of all places...and then it hit me!  I had never actually thought about the fact that people would actually come from around the U.S. to visit our Capitol Building.  How dumb could I be not to realize that before?!?  And then I wondered what I would think of Lansing as a Capitol if I didn't live here.  I hope that couple enjoyed our beautiful building as much as I enjoy it and the other 48 that I have visited. 

After getting some love, it was time to spend some time working on our stay skills.  It's an important skill to have, but Peaches struggles, not because she wants to run away, but because she can't stand that I am walking away from her.  But she is slowly getting better.

We had a nice night and I ended it by picking up some Mexican before heading home. 

Saturday was another hot, humid day, but I wanted to get the girls out for some fun.  Peaches needs daily exercise and Maddie is always excited to get out for an adventure.  After walking shelter dogs in the morning and then spending a little time doing some cleaning and relaxing at home, we headed out for a short walk.  

Our friend Vanessa introduced us to geocaching and we've done a bit of it while with her on our U.P. adventures, but I had decided that I was going to try to do a little of it on my own.  I discovered that there was a cache just about a half mile from my house, so we headed out to try to find it.  While I didn't have any success in finding it, we had a nice walk and spent a little time relaxing at the park before we turned to head home. 

At the end of our 1.4 mile walk, we arrived home and the girls were pooped!  I think Peaches likes the floor because it's so cool because she only lays there after we've gone for a walk on a hot day!  They rested up and had dinner before we continued our geocaching efforts.  

I was surprised to discover that there were so many geocaches within just a couple miles of my house and that we could look for several in a fairly small area.  For the rest of our efforts tonight, though, we would be driving from location to location and I would leave the girls in the air-conditioned Jeep while I jumped out to locate a cache and then continue on our way.  I was pretty excited when I was able to find and log my very first geocache on my own!  Ultimately I found a total of three before we headed home for the night.   I call that a success, since I'm really new to this!  But hopefully I'll get better as we continue. 

Sunday we'll be heading out to do some geocaching along the North Country Trail with Vanessa.  While I'm not trying to think about what could be going on with Maddie, if I don't keep busy, it does creep into my thoughts.  I don't want to worry unnecessarily, and I don't want to waste time on worrying when we can just be enjoying spending time together.  So that will be our focus tomorrow.  Adding more memories and more adventures with my amazing girls!

This week last year I was finalizing all of the details for our trip to Alaska and when I realize that trip started almost a year ago...and then how quickly Imke's health deteriorated after we returned, it continues to bring up a lot of feelings, and the thought that I could lose Maddie too...well it's a lot to handle.  I had pictured in my head what life would be like after Imke left us and Maddie and I have unfinished business...we have plans, and I am not ready to give up on them yet.  

Welcome Summer

NOTE:  I wrote this on Sunday night, but somehow I forgot to hit publish.  I apologize for the delay.

This week I spent Monday and Tuesday in Minneapolis attending meetings for work.  While I love to travel, work travel isn't something I enjoy very much.   I don't mind a short weeknight trip within Michigan, but when I have to travel out-of-state and spend more time at the airport than I do in meetings, well, that's a different story.    For this trip, the girls got to spend two-nights away from home with Nicol while I was gone.  It always makes traveling easier when I know that they are in good hands and will be loved and spoiled.

I left home on Monday morning at 5:45am for the 7am flight to Minneapolis.  Even with a couple of delays, I arrived much earlier than our meeting start time so I got to spend sometime before the meeting hanging out on the 29th floor.  Not a bad view from there! 

After an afternoon of meetings, we headed out to Surly Brewery for a tour and dinner.  It's nice to spend time with the team in a more relaxed setting and the food was amazing! As a bonus, the patio is dog-friendly and I got to meet a beautiful Great Dane and this adorable St Bernard puppy.  That may have been the highlight of my trip!  If you're ever in Minneapolis, I would highly recommend stopping there for lunch or dinner.

Day two brought more meetings and then the long wait for the 8:40 pm flight out of Minneapolis back home.  Luckily our flight left on time and we had no delays on the way to Lansing.  Although you can't really see it well in the picture(unless you zoom in), I was pretty excited to capture a shot of the Minnesota State Capitol Building from the air.

The sunset from 30,000 feet was pretty nice too.

I was happy to arrive at home where the girls were waiting to greet me.  While they were happy I was home, all the excitement of the two days with Nicol wore them out and after an excited greeting and a quick trip outside for a potty break, both of them were happy to curl up and go to sleep. 

I was lucky enough to spend Wednesday working from home.  I think Peaches would like me to work from home every day! 

And after being away for over 48 hours, they wanted to make sure that I wasn't going away without them any time soon.

With all of the rain we've been getting this Spring, it was nice to see that the weather would improve for the beginning of Summer.  Thursday night we headed downtown to continue to work with Peaches on her off-leash listening skills.  I really want to be able to take her to the UP and let her run free on the beach, but I need to know she'll come back when I call her.  So we continue to hone those skills.  She's doing pretty well.

Saturday I had plans to get us back out on the North Country Trail to add some more miles toward our 100.  We're about 1/2 way there at the mid-point of the year, so we're doing alright, but I'd like to get ahead of schedule a bit. 

We headed toward Marshall for our first stop on the trail because there is river access and both girls love to wade in the water and Maddie can't go far without stopping for a drink.

We added 2.2 miles in Marshall before Maddie told me it was time for her to stop for a rest.  With arthritis problems and some other potential health issues, it's important for me to really pay attention to all the signals she gives and to make sure I'm not pushing her beyond what she can handle now.  While that doesn't always make Peaches happy...because she could always go more, it is the reality of dealing with our life as Maddie gets older.  We are going to just continue to do things with her and take life at her pace.

We drove a bit more that day and ended up adding another mile on the trail on one of the roadwalk stretches, so we ended the day with 3.3 miles total.  It was definitely a successful day on the trail.

We spent today at home, relaxing and enjoying the nice Michigan weather.  Peaches is thrilled with the warmer temperatures and all of the sunshine and would spend all day, every day lying out in the sun if I let her. 

We don't have many exciting plans for the upcoming week, but Maddie does have an appointment with the vet to get some testing done.  With as much as she's slowed down over the last couple of months, I want to make sure I know what may be causing her problems and how I can ensure she has the best life possible.  I'm hoping that the only issue is her arthritis, and after bloodwork and potentially some other tests, I should know exactly what is going on with her.  It's so hard to see her slow down as she ages...she is aging much faster than Jake or Imke did and, at 13, she's far too young for me to be prepared for anything really bad, but we'll face head-on anything life decides to throw our way.    I promise to update all of you as we know more. 

For now, I say good night on this beautiful Sunday and wish you all a happy week!

Yard Work and Adventures

What a nice week we have had.  Although we've had several rainy days, we've also had some perfectly nice, sunny days this week as well; days that were perfect for catching up on all of the yard work that I've needed to do, but haven't had time to finish previously.  So this week we spent lots of time in the yard, finishing the garden, refreshing the mulch, weeding where needed, and planting flowers.  I love to do yard work and I like it even more when the weather is sunny, comfortable, and lacking mosquitos!  

When we weren't working on cleaning the yard, garage, and house, we made time for a few fun outings.  While the girls enjoy being out in the yard with me, after a couple of days they start to bug me to take them for a car ride and an adventure, and this week after getting lots done at home, I happy to oblige!

For our mid-week adventure, the girls hopped into the Jeep and we headed downtown.  Peaches and I have been working on her off-leash listening skills and Capitol grounds are a great place to do just that.    There are lots of distractions-squirrels, ducks, dogs, and people-so she really has to listen to me.  I think that she is getting better every time.  Although her stay is still needs some work since it's more of a creep-forward than a stay, she is doing really well considering there were ducks less than 20 yards from us and she never ran after them.  I consider that a huge success.

This week was also the grand opening of the new Ingham County Animal Shelter.  I was excited to be able to be there for the ribbon cutting.  Immediately following the grand opening, we held our annual adopt-a-fest.  I always enjoy volunteering to help at this event and it was exciting to have it at our brand new shelter. 

The event runs for 27 hours straight, so after I finished volunteering, I took the girls out later that night to see how things were going.  Peaches and Maddie were excited to check out the new facility too.  Maddie was off following another volunteer around while Peaches played greeter for a bit. 

Saturday we got out for a short walk on the Albion Riverwalk to make progress toward our North Country Trail miles.  It was cool and humid and the rain started while we were out for our walk, but it was nice to get out on the trail for awhile. We are nearing the half-way point and I'm hoping that we have a chance this summer to spend some time on the weekends getting ahead of schedule. 

But most of our Saturday was spent at home, spending a lazy, relaxing day.  It was a great day with some much needed down-time.

Today we spent the day at Sleepy Hollow State Park to visit my dad for Father's day.  We arrived at the park and hit the ground running.  We had a great day with a nice long walk and then enjoyed some time at the campsite.  Maddie napped while Peaches watched birds.  Grandma even threw a little ice cream party for us!

I end tonight at home in a house that is way too quiet.  My girls are off spending the next two nights with Nicol while I travel for work and, while I am happy she is able to help me out, boy is the house lonely without them!  I'm really going to miss them, but I know that they are going to have a great time with Nicol.

On the move

This week was a big week in the history of the Ingham County Animal Control and Shelter as we made the move from our over 40 year old building into a brand new building just a short distance away.   I began volunteering for the shelter in June, 2011 because I wanted to give back to the shelter that brought Jake into my life.  Little did I know then how much a part of my life this place would become. 

Lots of time spent in Ward 2

When I really started to think about all of the years and all of the time that I had spent in this building, I must admit that I became a little emotional.  I have spent hours in these halls, harnessing dogs and preparing for our weekly dog walks.  I have made so many friends here over the years.  Before I started volunteering at the shelter, I wouldn't have believed I would have met so many amazing people who would become so important to my life...friends that span the globe from Michigan to Washington and all the way to Australia and who understand exactly how I feel about helping animals and just how much I love my girls...people who are such an important part of my life, no matter where life takes us.

In addition, I've had the privilege of meeting and helping so many dogs over the years.  Although it's hard to believe, I've literally met thousands of dogs in this building.  From dogs that I've fostered to all of the dogs that I've walked or helped to harness for our dog walks, I've been so fortunate to play a small part in the lives of so many.  Rescue work is such a meaningful part of my life and I can't imagine how different my life would be if I hadn't stepped into this building all of those years ago.

  Most importantly, 15 years ago, this building brought me my handsome Jake-the best boy ever! 

So after 8 years of volunteering for ICACS, it was a little bittersweet leaving behind that old building and all of the memories I have there, but it was also exciting to move into our bigger and more updated facility. 

I have been involved with the shelter in so many ways over the years and was honored to be one of the volunteers lucky enough to help as we moved the dogs to their new home in our brand new building last Sunday. 

A small group of our dog walkers as well as ICACS staff joined together to walk the dogs the 1/4 mile between the shelters.  There was news coverage from the local TV station and it was exciting to be part of this historic move.

We are now slowly going to start settling into our new space as we get familiar with the layout...and the much large space! 

I've been honored to be affiliated with ICACS all of these years and look forward to many more years of volunteering here.  I'm excited to see what the future hold in this new building.  It is a beautiful facility that we as a community can be proud of and can be confident that it is a place where the animals in need in Ingham County will get the love and care that they need as they await their forever homes.

I can't wait until next weekend when we unveil this gem to our community of supporters at our Grand Opening and Adopt-a-Fest.