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.
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.
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.
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.
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