Kathy said we should take Echo on "exercise" walks, but that she (Echo, not Kathy) should wear her vest on these walks. Echo only wears her vest when she is "working". So, these are "working" walks, where she gets exercise.
This weeks has been crazy for us. So, Echo has only had three such walks, since we first met Kathy, on Saturday.
But, then again, Echo has only been cleared to go out our front door since, basically, last Friday night.
Her first trip out was to meet Kathy, on Saturday.
From all the "input" of that trip, Echo was a "boneless Collie" for most of the rest of that day. ("Little Girl" was exhausted from the trip, the "car sickness", and the new information. ... She did little more than pee, poop, and sleep, after we returned home.)
Sunday, I took her on her first walk out of our front door, as documented in my previous post.
Monday, we took a similar trip. This time, it was before nightfall. She did okay with passing cars. When we began to catch up with neighbors taking a walk, she wanted to go "make friends". ... She did have a "freak out" moment, though. It was when we were passed by a person on a bicycle. This walk was the same distance as the first, but it was about 20-25 minutes, as opposed to the 15 minutes of the first. Mainly because of the activity on the street that she had not seen before, and I added a tiny bit of length to the walk, on a quieter side street.
Tuesday, I wasn't able to take her on the "exercise walk", and paid the price for it. She needs the exercise, and the mental input. If not, she gets a bit crazy. ... She was crazy, Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, we walked Amy to her bus stop, for work (when she doesn't drive). This added about 1/2 a mile, and turned it into a 40 minute walk. Echo did great. The only thing that seemed to freak her out was a jogger. I find it interesting that she figured out VERY QUICKLY that moving vehicles were things that she should avoid, and, if she did that, they were of no concern. However, bicyclists and joggers freak her out.
Upon returning from a walk our routine has remained the same: we come in the front door; I take her vest off; we go, immediately, to the run; she runs in circles, like a nut, sometimes pees, and we play "chase" for a bit (I have NEVER chased her. When we play "chase", she chases me, or we DO NOT play that game.); and, then, she crashes like she has had a 16-ton weight dropped on her.
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Other than we are going through the "joy" of her switching to her third dog food since September 3rd, there is nothing to report of note.
Actually, the transition to the Nutro foods has been fairly easy. Yes, the poop has bordered on liquid, but, except for once, the smell has not been that bad (considering it is poop). She seems to like it, and, while it has been soft/liquid coming out, her "schedule" hasn't changed during this transition.
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One last thing.
I'm a classically trained musician who, for the last 23 years, has been "plying his trade" for the US Army. I've been "crusty, old 'Sergeant Robertson'", since Clinton was President, in one way, rank, or another.
LITERALLY, before I started posting on this blog tonight, I spent hours writing an email that was a short history/performance notes(and guidance for the performers) of Giovanni Gabrieli's ground breaking work: "Sonata Pian e Forte", written in the year 1597. Because I am conducting a performance of that piece later this month in Saint Martin's University's Abbey Church.
I did that first, because it needed to be done, and it was easy, compared to what I needed to do next: update this blog with pictures and video; and discuss, subjectively, and quantitatively, Echo's poop (and exercise).
No matter the wildest "break room/day room/smoking area" conversation I
have EVER been a part of, I have NEVER IMAGINED spending as much time
discussing dog poop, as I have done on this blog.
At the moment, my life revolves around local veteran's organizations, 16th century classical music written for a Catholic church (I'm Protestant), AND dog poop.
An interesting combination.
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