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| dogtree - 4:35 PM on Jun. 16, 2009 |
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Writer's block is a terrible thing when you have a newsletter to put out. Yep, Bear and I have absolutely no material today. For 45 minutes now I have sat, staring into space like a sloth trying to drum up some interesting ideas. But nope, nothing. Another TimTam doesn't even help. It makes it especially difficult when your canine sidekick has just discovered he has a penchant for sultanas and is now expending all energy on trying to break into the pantry. So I urge you to stop reading now, before I delve into the most utterly boring topic of..........
Aha, still nothing! Actually, that's a lie. Two things come to mind. One is a recent altercation that occurred at our local dog park, a kind of scuffle in which no person or dog was injured, but easily could have been.... And the other is the ongoing issue of Bear's weight. More on that later.
Getting back to the altercation, I am hesitant to call it an attack, because it was more a case of dog bullying than attacking, although there was a bit of aggressive biting involved, but no blood drawn. I had always assumed that taking Bear to the dog park was the right thing to do – despite the fact he never really got amongst it and mingled with the others. But now I'm not so sure. Sometimes it's hard to know if we are doing right by our dogs. We might think we know what's good for them, but how do we really know?
In my case, it took a nasty altercation for me to realise that perhaps Bear just isn't suited to the rough and tumble of the dog park. He is smallish, a bit chubby, slow, shy and hence seemingly unpopular. He can't run with the pack, catch a ball, chase or defend himself if things get a bit hairy. In fact, he's more of a sniffer, finding pleasure in attaching his nose to posts, car tyres and piles of leaves. You know the kind, the outsider who goes against the grain.
So, after much agonising, I conceded that the park simply isn't for us – at least for now anyway. For the past month, Bear and I have avoided the zone, and instead pounded the pavement, discovering many hidden playgrounds and reserves in our 'hood. The whole experience has taught me to pay close attention to his behaviour, and to try to read and then act on it, because let's face it, all dogs are different, and some enjoy less obvious activities than running, like sitting in a cool breeze, trying to catch a scent, which is what Bear does late at night just before bed.
Speaking of scents, he's given up on the pantry and returned to my side. It's tough love, but the diet is working and he's already down from 13.6 to 12.6kilos. An abandoned dog you see, who was a fattie when I adopted him, but have thus far been unsuccessful in helping him shed the excess rolls. The new walking regime is also helping, as, apparently, moving at a steady pace is a more effective weight loss method than short bursts of running.
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