Day 2950

It only rained for about twenty minutes today, but it would happen to be the same twenty minutes when I decided to give Dash his afternoon walk. Dash seems to have lost his ability to detect approaching storms. So have I, it appears. We get caught in the rain a lot. Today's rain was a real soaker. I was worried that I may have ruined my camera and phone. Luckily there was no thunder and lightning. Everything still worked when we got home, but Dash and I were very wet.

Ironically, I'd gone to the gym this morning specifically to avoid the rain. In retrospect, it would have been smarter to have walked Dash earlier in the day and let the car get wet during the afternoon. As always, we may have made it home before the storm this afternoon if Dash wasn't so slow. He still insisted in smelling every bush along the trail even though we were both getting drenched.

I had a good workout today. It still seems odd that my body reacts the same way every Sunday. The first twenty minutes, my aches and pains are in control and I just want to go home. The next twenty minutes I'm kind of in a zone where I'm not really aware of time. My mind wanders and I start to notice what the other gym members are doing. During the last twenty minutes, I often feel surprisingly good and absentmindedly wonder whether I should stay and exercise a little longer. I never do.

I was planning on vacuuming the house this afternoon, but it took so long to dry Dash off after we got caught in the storm that I quickly lost interest. I had to do something, so I recharged a bunch of battery powered devices and took a nap with Dash instead. From time to time I would turn the television on and then turn it off again. I can't stand to watch the news channels anymore. Eventually, The Great British Baking Show caught my interest. Watching bread bake is much more interesting than politics.

Yesterday, we experimented and fed Dash later than usual. We also made him wait for his bedtime snack until ten-thirty PM. There was some barking and bad behavior due to this delay, but the reward was that Dash didn't need to go outside and poop in the middle of the night. We all were able to sleep without interruptions until morning. It was so pleasant to get a decent amount of sleep that we're going to trey the same strategy tonight. We have been so worried that Dash was refusing to eat that he has become very spoiled. Once he realized that he was calling the shots, he began wanting to eat earlier and earlier. Things have gotten out of hand. We've got to work on reestablishing a more reasonably feeding schedule without getting Dash all worked up and putting his heart at risk. Life is always interesting with a Dalmatian.

I have articles to write but I still have this antiquated notion that Sunday should be a day of rest. I have no idea why going to the gym qualifies as rest and writing doesn't. I guess I only feel like I'm working when I'm following someone else's orders. When I'm calling the shots, it's never work. Maybe Dash feels the same way. He certainly likes to call the shots about his meals and feeding schedule. Dash is a very stubborn dog. If he and I can compromise on an appropriate dinner time, it should be a no brainer for congress to get the government running again.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2883

From the looks of our mailbox, you'd think that Dash was the only one who lives here. This dog gets more mail than I do. In addition to notices and reminders from various vets, Dash receives a steady supply of homemade dog treats. Dash's "Thanksgiving Dinner" came in the mail today. I'll have to admit that it did look pretty good.

Janet finds these things on Facebook. I'm amazed at the number of people who have created a viable business making products specifically for Dalmatians. There's a guy who make dog coats specifically for Dalmatians. He started his business by showing pictures of his coats on Facebook Dalmatian groups and now he gets orders from all around the world. Now, there's a woman who makes dog treats targeted to Dalmatians. She posts a picture of her Dalmatian wearing a chef's outfit every time he is "baking" and the orders pile in. I applaud these strange and wonderful little businesses. They are so specific that you'd think they couldn't possibly work, and yet they do. Maybe Janet could make dog cookies the next time she decides to retire. Her cookies were amazing, but she only made them once a year for the dogs of friends and neighbors. I still remember delivering them around Christmas time while I was walking Spot. This seems like thirty years ago, because it probably was.

Dash seems so much better than he did two months ago. I don't know if his health has really improved, but he definitely seems happier. I think he decided that if he was on the verge of death, he was going to start living life his way. He didn't want to walk when it was convenient for me. He wanted to walk when he felt like it. He was tired of eating kibble and convinced us that he really needed cans of super premium Castor and Pollux stews. I don't know why he feels like interrupting my breakfast with a long walk, but it really doesn't hurt anything. I've adapted to this new routine fairly easily. I can see why he got tired of eating kibble. I don't think I would enjoy living on healthy crackers.

I hope some of the changes we've made are actually doing some good. Dash is definitely spoiled now, but he doesn't seem as anxious now and his stress levels are much lower. He even stands still and lets me put on his rubber boots before we walk now. I think he's finally learned that it feels better to walk while wearing these protective shoes. Almost every day, people stop us on our walks to ask about the boots and knee brace. I've told the story so many times that the manufacturer should give me a discount.

The heavily modified boots are clever and comfortable. I could probably sell these on Facebook if I could ever figure out how to manufacture them myself. Manufacturing almost anything is much more complicated than it seems. The big problem with dog boots is that they have to fit exactly to be effective. Every dog's paws are different. They have to be soft and easy to put on, while remaining tough enough to stand up to sidewalks and asphalt roads. My design is improving each time a make a modification, but I don't think this will ever be a commercial product. I've spent way too much time on these things.

We have an early appointment at the cancer center tomorrow for another echocardiogram. We'll probably do these monthly tests indefinitely. I keep hoping that one of these days we'll see that the blood clots in Dash's heart are getting smaller.

Honey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day