The End of Denial Leads to a Long Road

For some time now I have been in complete denial about the fact that my dog may have put on a few extra pounds. I completely ignored all of you who so kindly pointed out, "Lola looks like she might be gaining a few" or not so kindly said, "Lola is getting fat."

Let me just say that I have a great dog. She is lovable. She more than tolerates the kids, including Joe who has put his finger up her nose on more than one occassion. She has totally mastered the impulse to jump on everyone. So, beside the shedding and stinky breath, Lola rocks.

With that being said, I now admit she may have been getting a little heavy. Now mind you, she's not obese, just a little plump. My denial ended when the vet mentioned that the "extra weight might be detrimental in the long run."

In my determination to help the dog shed a few, I might have been a bit overambitious. Like most things, when I make up my mind to do something, I do it with gusto - reality be damned.
So here's the story: Our house is about three miles from Maddie's school. Perfect distance especially considering there is a hike/bike path the entire way. Last Thursday I said to Maddie, "How about if we walk to school? I can take Lola for her walk then."

"Great. That will be fun," said my kid. Of course, this seems fun the night before at 7 p.m. She didn't find it so fun the next morning when we had to leave the house at 7 a.m. Maddie, not being a morning person at all, drags her feet getting ready which means we have to haul ass to get to school. You may be asking yourself why didn't they just drive if they were running behind? Good question. The answer is that it was 7 a.m. in the morning and I had one thing on my mind - my fat dog. So we do a run/walk/run/sprint for three miles until we reach the elementary school.

Lola and I say goodbye to Maddie, who was only three minutes late, and turn to walk the three miles home. As we start back, I notice Lola is slowing down, not stopping mind you, but getting progressively slower by the minute. And no lie - she starts faking a limp. I know that she is faking because I check all her paws and let her rest for a bit. I tell her, "Time to go home." I swear to God, the dog gave this look like if she had middle fingers, I would be getting the double bird. Of course the limp disappears as we enter the home stretch.

After 6 miles, Lola found her spot and stayed there for two days. :) Everything in moderation - especially walking a fat dog.



Here's a picture of Maddie on the first day of school. By the way, she loves her school and day care. She now has a new best bed, named Minnie who happens to have the same birthday as Miss M. And she has a twin sister, Jennie, who Maddie informed me "has the same birthday, too!"