Anyway, this picture was taken on August 9th when we adopted Milo. We got Achilles the same day as well. Ed went to get Milo from the rescue’s foster house and Peggy (Milo’s fabulous foster mommy) took this picture of them in the driveway.
He was about 87 or 88 pounds at that time. It was not a healthy weight for him and put a lot of pressure on his bones and joints. Unlike most Goldens, he didn't pig out and gorge on food, but he was still very, very heavy. He had no definition in his waist and pretty much looked like a pork barrel all around! Before being fostered at Peggy’s, he spent quite a long time in various shelters. We walk our boys for a half hour in the mornings, and then for at least an hour in the evenings. As much as Milo got excited for his walks, they were initially kind of tough for him. He panted hard on his walks and became tired very quickly. He was winded by the time we’d reach the dog park which is less than a 15 minute walk from our house. Over the months with us, Milo’s stamina, his energy and his overall body/muscle tone have improved greatly. We feed him the same amount of food he’s always eaten (1 cup of dry kibble in the mornings and in the evenings, with a little wet or homemade food mixed in for flavor), but we obviously increased his walking and exercise time. Walking and exercise are two very separate, distincitive activities when it comes to dogs. I can have them chase a ball for hours in the backyard as exercise, but it still won't serve their mental and physical health the way a good, long walk will.
This is what he looks like now!
Granted, he recently got a hideous haircut by the groomer (I’m never going to her again!) so it looks like he’s skinnier just because of the lack of fur, but we weighed him on Saturday at the vet’s and he’s 75 pounds. Hooray for Milo!
Milo Bear is now 13 pounds lighter. His vet says that 75 pounds-ish is perfect for him because he’s a much bigger and taller dog than Achilles. There is nothing better we can do for our dogs than take them on their daily walks. We both work full time jobs and we don’t have the kind of backyard for them to wander around in that will keep them stimulated. They both love Lynne & Amos’ backyard for that reason, because it feeds their natural instinct to roam, sniff, walk, discover and exercise. But, even with that kind of stimulation, I’ve read that dogs view a backyard as an extension of their home, so it doesn’t always take care of their instinctive need to walk. To make up for that, we walk our dogs every single day.
In nature, dogs pretty much spend all their time walking or sleeping. They do this to look for food and water, to feed off that sense of bonding within their group/pack, and to discover and/or reinforce the structure and hierarchy of their group (hence the whole alpha dog stuff, etc…). They are animals that need to explore and see the world, just like us. Like fish swim, dogs walk. Even though domestic dogs don’t walk for the purpose of hunting for food, it is still an activity which makes them feel purposeful and driven, hence less anxiety ridden, and more importantly, it helps them stay healthy and mentally balanced. Come to think of it, that’s exactly what is does for us humans! :-) The younger the dog, the longer and more frequent the walks need to be.
No matter how much or what I provide inside of the house for Achilles and Milo, it is still not the environment that nourishes their species’ instinctive needs and wants. It doesn't matter how domesticated dogs have become, they still need the same release and activity that their wild predecessors needed. It’s exciting and stimulating for them, as well as beneficial to their health (and ours!). We are only human and there are many times that we're tired after a long day at work and really don't feel like walking Achilles and Milo. But, in the end it was our decision to accept the responsibility of having dogs, so it's unfair to Achilles and Milo if we don't live up to our responsibilities. They can't walk themselves (although there are many times I wish they could!).
Plus, no matter how tired I may be after work, I wish you could see Achilles and Milo just FREAKING out when I get their leashes ready for their walk! Excitement! Tails wagging! Nails clicking! Jumping up and down! Giddiness! "Oh boy! Mommy is taking us walking!" They make me laugh out loud every single night. Just being able to shove their noses full of millions of scent receptors into every little stinky nook and cranny of the neighborhood gives them so much pleasure. After their nightly walks and their dinner, they are just so content and relaxed. They’re happy and they sleep so well. There have been a few times when we couldn’t give them their walks and it was interesting seeing how restless and bored they were. Quite a contrast actually.
Anyway, I don't really know why I went into the nature and biology lesson. I just wanted to celebrate Milo Bear's svelte, sexy frame. Congratulations Milo! You are the Biggest Loser! I'm so proud of you! Mommy loves you very much.
1 comment:
Yea Milo! Hard to tell from here, but I think his haircut looks pretty good, and definitely shows off his slimmer self!
Very well written post and has definitely inspired me to walk Sadie more even though she has a large back yard to explore (where she is out venturing right now-probably looking for rabbit poo). I used to always walk her everyday when I lived in places without a large yard, but I've been lazy since I've moved back in August.
Plus, a lot of homes in this neighborhood have invisible fences and *sometimes* the batteries in dog's collar don't work so they just meet you on the street. Definitely stressful!
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