Just a Little Walk

Casey and I, along with his brothers and angel sister walk about 15 miles per week.  It’s always the same walk, about a mile and a quarter uphill and a mile and a quarter down.  Call it 800 miles per year for eleven years, and Casey and I have walked nearly 9,000 miles.  That’s a lot of shoes, but just one set of pads.  Casey walked this route two days before his diagnosis, but since his amputation, will likely never make the full walk again.

Walk time is pretty crazy here.  Getting everyone leashed up is an adventure; when they see me getting ready for a walk, they all rush to the closet with the leashes, nipping at each others legs and trying to hump each other, and Casey is right there in the mix.  There’s no way he’s going to be left behind, so he walks as long as he’s comfortable and then Ann picks him up with the car.

Last night, Casey made it 3/4 of a mile up the hill, a new personal record.  I’d called Ann at the half mile point but then a convertible drove by with a baying hound, and Casey just had to find that dog, so he powered on for another quarter mile, and was still going strong once Ann got there.

Those walks bring me great joy, and I’m looking forward to many more with Casey.

Author: tlahaye

Pack leader for four dogs . . . two goldens and two mixed breeds.

9 thoughts on “Just a Little Walk”

  1. CASEY IS AMAZING!!! That dog has a whole lotta’ grit and determination!

    And you’re doing a really good job of monitoring him and making sure he doesn’t overdo! Well, as best you can until he decides to go after howling dogs!! Crazy boy! He’s just so happy to be able to be CASEY and be with his pack!

    We’d love to have video of him on his “power walk”…..with some good rest stops in between

    Hugs to mail the pack
    Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too

    1. Sally, “Good rest stops in between?” I have no reference point here. Is 3/4 (or even 1/2) mile too far to take him? He stops and rests, but never sits down. He does lie down and roll in his favorite spots yet though.

  2. This made me smile. We walk maybe 4 or 5 houses worth down our street, mostly to see the kids and people because Fallon loves and misses them. It’s great to keep up the old routines with the new set of wheels.

  3. That is amazing. You could think about possibly a doggy stroller that way when he got tired he could ride as you finished your walk.

    hugs
    Michelle & Angel Sassy

    1. Good thought Michelle, but it’s a long hill; not sure I want to push Casey all the way up. Now, if I could figure out a dog cart so his brothers could pull him up . . . .

  4. This is just in the “for whstever it’s worth” column.
    The fact that CASEY stops to roll around, or he stops to rest, shows he’s making a good job of recognizing if he’s tiring. And the fact that he doesn’t actually sit down suggests he isn’t over doing it. The “beliefs” is, if a dog sits down, he has already overdone it and needs a break.

    Where some people often get caught in the “overdoing it trap”, is forgetting to factor in the dog always has to walk back! I love that you arrange for CASEY to make his return trip in his chauffeured car!😎

    So I guess it’s not as mich about the distance as it is how he moseu and meanders through that distance. Of course,Tripawds will always walk at a faster pace because they need the momentum for balamce.

    All that said, I’m not a very good resource as my Happy Hannah loved being a couch potato getting tummy rubs. . She was a “stop and smell the roses” kind of walker.

    I’m just sooooo thrilled to know how well CASEY is doing. This really is a smile making update.

    Love and hugs to all.
    Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too

    1. Thanks Sally. I appreciate that feedback. The other thing to remember is that our fur friends will often over do it trying to please us. We need to pay attention, especially as the hot months come.

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