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| A walk in the woods is great. Freedom of no leash makes it even better. |
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| The Pooch Coach |
Seriously. If you don’t want to walk, don’t get a dog. Get a cat. Or gold fish.
Special accommodations need to be made when your dog gets injured or sick.
After Jasmine’s knee injury, we moved most of our life to the main floor. We used to have a living room in the basement. But stairs were out of the question with the busted knee. And spending time downstairs and leaving Jasmine behind was totally out of the question. So the living area moved up to the main floor.
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| The system of stairs and decks for easy access |
Considerations for physical needs is important. But what about emotions?
I admit I was quite obsessive about making sure Jasmine’s feelings didn’t get hurt.
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| Office trailer featuring doggy windows |
Stuffing my face with something good I couldn’t share? Wouldn't happen.
When we took Jasmine swimming, quite often other dogs would steal the toy we threw for her to fetch.
She didn’t argue with them, but it did make her sad. So I started getting into the water with her, making sure she did get to fetch her toy without anybody stealing it. We both enjoyed doing this together, we did it even when there were no other dogs around.
When Jasmine’s best buddy was able to come out for play dates less and less frequently, it was making her very sad.
It was very obvious that she KNEW it was going to be a long time before she'd see him again. That’s when I decided we needed to get a second dog, so she had her own beck and call buddy.
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| Jasmine's best buddy |
Because she knew that if that happened, she not only immediately got a replacement, but a second piece to make up for the mental anguish of losing the original one.
Her entire life, until the injured knee, she got to enjoy all off-leash walks. Suddenly she was to be bound to a leash. I was very worried she might see that as punishment of sorts. I insisted we had to find some new trails we’ve never been to, which would be designated as the “on-leash” trails.
My hope was that she’d figure that the leash was because of the place, not anything she did.
When, after her surgeries, she couldn’t go for any walks at all, her feelings were hurt enough by that. And then I was supposed to take JD for his walks, to rub it in? Of course, I couldn’t have that. So we invented a new system. I packed up the garbage, “I’m just taking out the garbage, honey.” Meanwhile, hubby let JD out into the back yard. I left through the front door with the garbage and then sneaked JD out of the yard for his walk. When we came back, I came back in through the front again and hubby let JD in from the yard. No, I don’t think that Jasmine didn’t know what we were doing.
But I do think she appreciated us not rubbing it in her face.
When she could start going out for short walks, hubby took her out first, then I quickly sneaked out with JD on the other side. Then, again, I returned through the front and JD from the yard.
I even went as far as making sure I didn’t put on my “walking” pants. Jasmine knew very well which pants were for walking and which were for inside the house. Putting on the walking pants meant we were going for a walk. Not taking her for a walk meant I could not put those on.
So I was freezing my bum out on a walk with JD wearing my house pants.
Interestingly, the garbage became a communication tool between us. When we were going somewhere where she couldn’t come along, such as to the doctor’s office, all I had to do was to pack up the garbage. When she saw that she’d go and settle down on her bed. “I’m just going out with the garbage, honey.”
Call me crazy, but her feelings were just as important to me as her physical well-being.
What accommodations do/did you make to keep your dog from getting your dog’s feelings from getting hurt?
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Related articles:
Exercise And Injuries In A Multi Dog Household: Rodrigo's Limp
Jasmine's Disc Injury: Spanking New Ramp
The Ups And Downs Of Dog Ramps
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