Thursday, August 29, 2013

In the Name of Fitness!

In 2010, Griffin had palate surgery (remember this story?!) which changed his life! He had been sick constantly and could barely breathe anytime he walked. A week after surgery, he was running- I almost burst into tears of joy. He was a brand new dog and aside from a few episodes, has been mostly healthy since then.

However, Griffin has a windpipe the size of a straw and despite the improvements after surgery, he will always have limitations. His breathing is noisy and he gets winded much more quickly than Olivia. And when he exerts himself for a long period of time he usually gets sick. He went to daycare a few days a week for about 3 weeks and then he got pneumonia. The vet told me that because of his compromised breathing, any situation where he exerts himself would lead to him getting sick.

I should have known better, but when we got to camp in May, the bulldogs and I started taking daily walks. Olivia has a lot of energy and I needed something to tire her out. And really, all three of us can always use a little extra exercise. But after about a week of daily walks, Grif got sick again. Since then, I have been MUCH more careful about letting him exert himself. He needs to exercise, but I try to keep a close eye on him and slow him down before he gets too out of breath.

Now that we are home from camp and the bulldogs aren't as active, getting enough exercise is important to making sure they don't gain weight. Often, I take them for a walk and after a few blocks, turn around, drop Griffin off at home and then take Liv for a MUCH longer walk.

But I've been thinking that I would like to find a way to take long walks without being stuck going around the same 3 blocks near my house.

Ta dah!!!!!

Check out our new WAGON!!



After Grif tried it out, Olivia was VERY
curious and eager to get a turn!

The wagon can hold up to 150 lbs, but it might
be tight if I have to squeeze both of them in it... 
So now Griffin can walk for a little while and then, once he gets tired, he can ride the rest of the way while Olivia and I get a good walk.

When I emailed these photos to Danny, his response was, "What the F is wrong with you?" but I want to point out that this wagon is in the name of fitness!

More walks for the bulldog brigade, starting now!

Nate humored me and agreed to join us on a walk, despite the fact that he was a little apprehensive about the new wagon.

We started out with both dogs walking and me pulling the wagon. Nate happened to lead us down a very quiet street that we don't usually walk down (I think he was a little embarrassed to be seen with us).

Griffin was not entirely cooperative when I put him into the wagon. It was really hot outside tonight and we hadn't walked very far, so Nate thought Grif wasn't tired enough yet. But it was hot and I wanted to see how he would react to the wagon. 


Nate was completely amused....



But eventually Griffin cooperated and he stayed in the wagon for the entire 2 blocks home and I think he liked it. 
I think that the walk/ride system is going to work well and I am excited for the weather to cool down so we can go for long walks!!

2 comments:

  1. Hilarious - I laughed out loud!! Can't wait to try it!!

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  2. Wonderful ride! Often thought about doing that when we had Ozzie, but lifting him into anything would require a crane! Good luck!

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