Friday, January 23, 2009

A warm winter day

Today was sunny, warm, and beautiful. I needed to do a good long walk because Saturday is the VGSR annual meeting and Sunday is a VGSR adoption event. I'll be on the road a lot both days and won't get any walking in. Lyka was today's lucky hiking partner and we put in a good solid two hours on the trails at a very good pace. The Fluvanna Heritage Trail is a 3 mile hiking trail along the Rivanna River on a piece of county-owned property called Pleasant Grove. There are also many miles of horse trails that intersect the Heritage trail so it is possible to construct a walk of any length with little or no double tracking on the trail. I think Lyka is the cause of the tendinitis I've had in my left elbow recently, so I mostly held the leash in my right hand and worked on keeping her from pulling so hard.

Lyka is a good walking partner, absolutely tireless, and she is excited and enthusiastic about being out there. We weren't alone on the trails like we usually are in the winter. We passed two people on horseback, one hiker, one runner, and a guy riding a trail bike. None of them had a dog with them, such a waste. We heard a deer but never spotted it. Lyka went into her manic phase after the horses passed, following the trail intently as if they were up ahead, apparently not realizing that the trail she was following was the horses that had just passed, going in opposite direction. Still, it was a good walk and I think I've finally built a pretty comprehensive mental map of the trail system.

By the way, Holiday is doing well today, not even limping any more. She's is one tough old gal. Fortunately, she eats her pills when mixed up with a bit of canned food, which I think has been a part of her diet in the past. Bear had his neuter surgery today. He was cryptorchid, meaning that he had only one descended testicle. Consequently, his neuter surgery was much more involved than usual because they had to do an abdominal incision to go inside to find and remove the undescended testicle. Ouch. He is recuperating in a crate here in my office, although he wanted to go back out with Bud and Chance. I guess he had stories to tell and a cool incision with lots of stitches to show off.

2 comments:

Living the life in The Little City said...

That's good news about Holiday.

Unknown said...

You were Danke's foster dad and I realize that this comment is not related to today's post, but I wanted to thank you again for what you do... You allowed me to adopt such a precious animal. He had his funny mannerisms, but no other dog that I have ever had has compared. I miss him greatly but I am also very grateful that you rescued him, which allowed me to share a time in his life. Thank you allowing these dogs another chance at life, the life that they truly deserve.