The ups and downs of being a dog mom

After enjoying a fun weekend in Chicago last weekend, Monday arrived and it was time for the real reason for my trip...a work meeting. 

The girls would be spending the night at a local boarding facility, but not before I could get them out for a morning adventure. 

The plan for our morning walk was to take a short drive from our hotel to the Catherine Chevalier Woods for a walk along the Des Plaines River.  However, when we arrived, we found that the trail was closed for restoration. 

While we couldn't walk on most of the trail, we were still able to spend some quality time exploring the park and even got to take a short walk along the trail.  The girls were happy to be in the woods.

Since we weren't able to get in a long walk at our first stop, I was hoping to find another spot for a walk along the way as we drove back to the hotel. 

Luckily I was able to find this great spot along the River and off we went to explore. The water in the river was high and eventually we had to turn around because we had reached a spot in the trail that was flooded, but with the two stops combined we had been able to get in a good adventure for the day.  

We spent the rest of the morning in our room at the hotel.  I did some work while the girls watched me.  We all ate lunch before I had to check out of the room and then I loaded up the car, took one more quick walk around the hotel property with the girls, and then took the short drive to the boarding facility to drop them off for the night.

The rest of my Monday afternoon and my Tuesday morning were spent in meetings, but 1pm Tuesday arrived quicky, and I had the girls in the car ready to head home by 1:30.  But we still had one more thing to do before leaving Chicago. 

I had arranged to meet Rozi...a K9 with the Chicago Police Department, and her mom/handler, Officer Gina Ibarra.  I've followed them for years on Instagram and was so excited to finally get to meet Rozi, Gina, and her other GSP, Woody!   Rozi is a trained bomb sniffing dog and a pretty typical GSP.  What an honor it was to meet all of them!  The girls got to meet Officer Ibarra too, but I didn't get any pictures.  It was the perfect end to our trip to Chicago. 

Our travels out of Chicago and through Indiana went smoothly, and we made it back to Michigan with no delays.

After being cooped up in meetings all morning and then in the car all afternoon, I knew we had to get out to stretch our legs once we were back in Michigan, and a stop a Warren Dunes is always a favorite. 

 

It was sunny, but cold and very windy, so our stop wasn't a long one, but we were able to get in a nice walk along the beach.  The girls were most excited about all of the sea gulls we saw.  I was most excited to be the only one on the beach!

 

Of course I couldn't resist getting some pictures of them while we were there.   Even though it was cold, I'm never disappointed with a stop at the beach.

I expected a quiet and uneventful drive home, but just a few miles before arriving at the house, Peaches started experiencing some issues.  She was wobbly when standing, drooling profusely, shaking, and she even vomited once.  I knew as soon as we got out of the car at the house that I needed to take her to the emergency vet.

We spent the next few hours there with Peaches being monitored.  They asked lots of questions, ran bloodwork, and did chest x-rays.  While they were sure the most likely cause of her issues was that she had gotten into some sort of stimulant, there was no way to know what it might have been, so the best they could do was to make sure her kidneys and liver were functioning normally and there wasn't another underlying cause like cancer.

Thankfully her bloodwork and chest x-rays came back normal and the tremors she had been having were lessening.   They gave me the option to leave her overnight for monitoring or to bring her home and keep an eye on her here.  I chose to bring her home.

They gave her some anti-nausea meds before she left and when they released her, she burst out of the door, obviously feeling better, although definitely still not back to her normal self.  They sent her home with muscle relaxers and told me to bring her back if anything changed.

Mina was a good distraction while I waited and we were both happy to see our Peaches again when she got back to the car.

While there is also the possibility that she may have had some neurological issues happening and may need further testing, I'm waiting to consult with my own vet before making any other decisions.   Thankfully once we were home, she finally relaxed and slept well through the night snuggled up with me in bed.

After a long night, I was glad to see Peaches feeling much better on Wednesday morning.  Although she still wasn't 100% back to normal, she had some spunk and wanted to run and play every time I let her outside.  I did my best to keep her calm and to limit her activity for the day, though. 

Mina was extra gentle with Peaches all day, and a large part of my work day was spent like this...with a laptop and two dogs sharing my lap.  

Since Peaches seemed to be doing better, I was happy to be able to get out to the shelter for our Wednesday night dog walk.   I got to walk Diglett.  What a nice dog he is.  

Thursday was another day of trying to limit Peaches' activity and Mina took full advantage of the extra snuggle time.  She's such a good ball!

By the end of my work day Thursday, I could tell that both girls were in need of a walk, so we headed out for a slow hike through the woods on a trail outside of Eaton Rapids. 

After the week we had had, it was some much needed time in a quiet and peaceful spot.  The timing was also good since we were expecting snow to move into the area late Thursday into Friday, and I didn't know what that would mean for our Friday walks.  We had a great time in Eaton Rapids and I even picked up a pizza for dinner while we were there.   

The snow arrived late Thursday and moved through the area pretty quickly.  By Friday afternoon it was no longer snowing and almost all of the snow on the driveway and sidewalks had melted.

After a long and very busy day of work on Friday, the girls and I met Vanessa at Fenner Nature Center for a nice snowy walk in the woods.  It was good to see Peaches back to herself, rolling in the snow at every opportunity and just having the best time.  It was a wonderful walk for us all.

Saturday was a day for running errands.  We made several stops and eventually made a stop at Nancy Moore Park for a nice long walk.  The sun was glorious and it was a wonderful day to be outside. 

It snowed again overnight Saturday into Sunday, but just enough to cover the grass.  The girls spent some time out in the yard while I did some work around the house, but eventually we were able to settle in for a quiet afternoon of snuggles.  It was a productive but low-key Sunday and just what I needed to prepare for the week ahead.  Hopefully it will be quieter and less stressful than the week past.  

Today we moved the clocks ahead and will have more daylight at the end of each day.  The days get longer, the birds are slowly returning, and Spring is on it's way.  I thought this picture of the Crocus in snow perfectly represents where we are in the transition between seasons.

I promise to keep you updated on Peaches next week, but for now I can say that she seems to be almost 100% back to normal.   I'm really relieved because I'm not ready to say goodbye to my cancer surviving miracle dog yet.

March arrives with a bang

This week's weather has been crazy as we moved from February into March.  We've had mid 40s, freezing rain, beautiful sun, and 6 inches of snow over the course of the week, but it is clear that Winter is nearing it's end and Spring is on the way.

Peaches had her annual vet appointment on Tuesday evening so I took the girls to Mason for a walk along the Hayhoe Trail before her appointment.   It was a great evening for a walk there.

Peaches' appointment went well.  She had an excellent check-up and was happy to see all of her friends.  Dr. Gretchen said that she's in great health for her age and her blood work proved that even further.   I'm so glad she's doing so well.  

Our Wednesday night dog walk was fun, and we walked four really nice dogs.  My walking buddy was Swiss Roll.   He was a really nice boy and loved his time out on our walk.

I was happy to see my Crocus are almost ready to bloom.  I love them so much because they are usually the first flower to sprout every year.  I can't wait until they are in full bloom. 

Friday we expected a pretty significant snow storm to move through Lansing starting mid afternoon, so the girls and I got out early for a good walk. 

We hadn't visited Fenner Nature Center in quite awhile and I decided it was time we got back there.  This time of year, the trees are all tapped for Maple Syrup season and I love to see them.

It was an excellent way to spend my lunch and I know we all thoroughly enjoyed our time there.  

We got in another quick mid afternoon walk before the snow started, and then we hunkered down for the night.  Mina was happy to snuggle up in her cozy cave.

We awoke to a beautiful sunny, snow-covered world.  In the end, we got around 6 inches of very heavy, wet snow.

When I went out to shovel, I was happy to see my neighbor, Bill was out with his snowblower working his way toward my house.  I so appreciate how nice it is of him to clean the sidewalks and drive on our block.  

I finished shoveling my driveway while Bill cleared the sidewalks, and then I loaded the girls into the car so we could head out for a fun weekend road trip.

Just a few short hours later, we arrived in downtown Chicago to start our weekend fun.

We picked up with Emmalee and then headed to Lincoln Park for a lovely walk.

The girls LOVED all of the new smells and really enjoyed our time along the lakeshore.  It was nearly 50 degrees and a great day for a walk.  

After our walk, I had a tasty Italian dinner downtown with Emmalee.  What a fun afternoon we had!

We got to our hotel after dark, and after dinner and a little playtime, the girls settled in for the night. 

We were up early on Sunday morning for a fun filled day.  Our first stop of the day was at Fort Sheridan which is about 30 minutes North of downtown. 

There are beautiful views of Lake Michigan.

There are also some really pretty wooded areas as well as grass lands.

While we saw other people there, it wasn't overly crowded.  We ended up a little muddy, but we loved this beautiful spot.

I also enjoyed learning the history of the area.

I forced the girls to stop for a couple of pictures before we headed back to the car.

Our next stop took us for a walk along the Chicago River North of downtown.   This was a nice little trail in an untouristy area.

Finally, we headed downtown to do some more exploring.   We started our adventure at Navy Pier and then took a walk at Milton Olive Park and Jane Addams Memorial by Ohio Beach.

There were great views of the Lake and of the skyline.

The girls were so well-behaved and had a great time.

We then headed back to to Navy Pier for a nice walk before heading back to the car.

We had had a busy day with lots of walking and plenty of adventures.   I think the girls really enjoyed their city adventures. 

We had dinner plans for the evening and the girls got to meet the sweet and beautiful Isabel.  Mina and Isabel had some fun playing and Mina played several rounds of fetch with anyone who would throw the ball for her.  It was a long and busy day for me and the girls, and we were back at our hotel after dark once again. 

After a busy day, it was nice to have a very quiet night.  

We have plans for one more short adventure tomorrow morning before I have to drop the girls off for a night of boarding while I attend some work meetings.  I'm so glad I decided to come into town early and share some adventures with the girls.