August 7 - We've Arrived! (Sort of)
7th August 2019
January: 104.5 lb
Late April: 97.6 lb
Early June: 91.4 lb
Early July: 87.0 lb
Early August: 86.5 lb
Total weight lost: 18.0 lb
Percentage of body weight lost: 17%
Original goal weight: 85 lb
New goal weight: 75 lb
Pounds to go: 10.5 lb
Dr. Melisa Kauffman, the Shelter Veterinarian for the Humane Society of Summit County, took a look at our boy Blue last week after he clocked in at 85.6 pounds. As she put it, "Blue is looking great and his overall health has improved greatly. Twenty pounds ago, 85 pounds was a good goal. Now, I'd like to see him at 75 pounds." (Write the phrase, "shelter veterinarian" into your favorite search tool. You'll get a new perspective on these animal heroes.)
Switching over to the human side, in the words of my doctor not long ago: "You were doing well earlier this year. Now you're getting beat by a dog on your way to a healthy weight. Let's work together to get you back on track, shall we?"
Blue was proud of himself, and his entire team was just as proud of him, when he came within about half a pound of his original goal weight last week. Moving the goalposts to 75 pounds wasn't discouraging to Blue at all. It made medical sense, and it gave Blue another objective to achieve. So he's happy with it.
As for me, I got to tell my doctor, "Well, the dog hasn't hit his goal just yet. I'll catch him. You'll see."
To celebrate Blue's progress, he and I hit the Buckeye Trail yesterday. With the quarantine and the 100+ degree heat index days behind us, we walked nearly 7 miles. We went north from Lock 29 through Peninsula, then into the woods almost to Boston, then back along the Towpath. That part of the Trail is very hilly with a couple of stream crossings. Blue handled it all as if it were a stroll in the park.
Along the way, we met friendly hikers, some with leashed (thank you) dogs that Blue barely noticed (another step forward). We had a nice chat with a maintenance crew from the Buckeye Trail's Crooked River Chapter. And we met a bicycling family with a toddler who couldn't stop waving and shouting hello to our favorite canine hiking phenom.
Back in January, Blue was approaching exhaustion after his first 1-mile walk on level ground with a few inches of snow on it. Six months later, look at what he's able to do! It really is amazing when you think about it.
Yesterday's hike brings Blue and I to a total of 10 miles on the Buckeye Trail in Summit County. At $10 per mile, we should be at about $100 in donations by now. If you check the blog's fundraising page, you'll see we're way over that. So thanks to all of you who've already helped and to those of you who will as our adventures continue.
Between now and the end of September, Blue and I will do our best to walk the Buckeye Trail from where we ended yesterday (near the bridge over the Ohio Turnpike) to the Cuyahoga County line. As we hike along, we're practicing skills Blue learned at the shelter, like loose leash walking, targeting (helps when other dogs come along), stay, and so on. So when you, whoever you turn out to be, take the leash, Blue will be that much more ready for whatever fun you want to have, on the trails or off.
Look for our next blog entry right here on Wednesday, August 21, and for a Facebook update next Monday or Tuesday.
Thank you all for continuing to follow Blue's adventures, for donating, and for getting the word out about what a great dog he would be in his forever home.
See you on the trails!
Ted
