The abysmal hot weather has kept up (apparently this is the hottest summer we’ve had in 5 years- ugh!) but I’ve tried to get the boys out daily so they don’t go stir crazy. I joined a local all-breed dog hiking club with Jack, which has been super fun. Last week we went to Chimney Bluffs State Park, along Lake Ontario, which was absolutely gorgeous:
It was a 2 hour hike with a lot of wading in Lake Ontario in between rest stops, so the dogs had a lot of fun and kept nice and cool. I was able to get Jack in to his chest, but the waves made him a bit nervous. The water was the most seaweed-y I’ve ever seen it! We came home smelling like fish and it took me about an hour to pick all the seaweed out of my hiking sandal velcro, lol. There were quite a few breeds represented: 2 greyhounds, a smooth visla and wire-coated visla, a mini poodle x golden mix (I guess called a “mini goldendoodle”), a golden retriever, a Great Dane that made Jack look like a tiny whippet lol, and a South African Boerboel.
Today we had a greyhound gathering at the local dog park, with one of the fields reserved just for greyhounds only. Because there wasn’t anything too strenuous (no long walks or hikes)- I was super excited to get Cliffy out. Poor boy, he loves to walk and meet new dogs, but his back problems have curtailed most hiking activities. I was thrilled that he would be able to socialize today! And Jack is, of course, happy to do ANYTHING. 
It was rather pleasant outside, considering the recent weather (humid, but only in the high 70′s) but Cliff was so excited to be out that he started to get a little… I don’t know. Overwhelmed? Over-excited? His breathing -normally raspy in humid/hot weather- got extra heavy and he got super warm. I rinsed him down but ended up leaving a bit early, just because he was getting so overly hyped-up and it was causing some breathing strain. It sounded like the poor thing had some crows flapping around inside his chest and I didn’t want him to pass out, or have a heart attack or something! Outside the pen, we took his muzzle off, and did a small cool-down walk with just himself and Jack. With the muz off and away from stimulation, he seemed to calm down a bit. We rode back home on the highway with the windows down to let the air flow in, and stopped at Tim Horton’s for some timbits at the drive through, which the boys enjoyed. At home, Cliff settled right down and regained normal breathing. And napped. He had a good nap (okay, we all did).
Several people at the gathering commented to me about Cliff’s thinness. A few were startled at his age and assumed because of his thin condition, he was just off the track. One lady repeatedly asked me if something was wrong with him, was I sure, etc? She just couldn’t believe he wasn’t sick, given his boney-ness. One of his people friends didn’t even recognize him. I felt SO bad! You know, you have a dog you see everyday and get used to their appearance- it’s kind of startling when you get comments like that? Cliff gets almost 6 cups of premium food a day (a mix of Natural Balance canned and meatroll, and CSFTPLS dry- comparatively, Jack and most other greys are allotted 4 cups per day), plus “extras”- an egg, boiled chicken, oatmeal- plus we go through almost a box of Iams biscuits every couple weeks. He gets “junk food” -snausages, jerky treats, etc- galore. He’s built very tall and lanky anyway, but in his “golden oldie” years is having a hard time maintaining anything. He’s been diagnosed as healthy by his regular vet (who he visits every 6 months for wellness visits) and by his orthopedic specialist- so that must be something, right?
Maybe now that we’ve moved, I’ll start him at a new vet clinic, so “fresh eyes” can look at him? Or is it worth continuing at our former vets for the rest of his life, because they “know” him? I don’t know.
Anyway, that is our excitement for the week (except for Jack killing a baby squirrel, but the fiasco is too gruesome for blogging!!).
-Jen