My Weight Loss Toolbox: Walking Buddy

Food/Calorie Journal
Scale
Walking App
Meal Calendar
Digital Food Scale that Weighs in Grams
Weekly, Detailed, Shopping List
Walking Buddy (My Daughter & My Dogs)
Yeti 36oz Rambler
Walking Shoes and Walking Socks

Let’s explore these one at a time.

I enjoy walking.  I honestly love it.  Being able to get out and explore new sights is easily better than the same suburban mundane walk, but I will take either.  I like the rhythm of a dog that is walking appropriately.  My dog, Broli, was perfect for walking.  The big, lumbering, fool, had excellent rhythm, did not pull on the leash, kept up with the walk, and never quit.  He was a giant short haired mutt that walked excellently in the heat, stopping only when the walk was over, and tolerated Wisconsin Winters like a champ.  Walking with him was therapeutic.  Sadly, Broli is no longer here. 

I now have my old dog, Jude, as a walking buddy.  Jude is a poor specimen of a Boston Terrier – his previous owners drove hours to a kennel to purchase him as a puppy.  I have my doubts over him being pure.  Maybe he is inbred.  I mean, I love Jude, he’s my dog, but he is a mess.  He has always been partly deaf, (now mostly deaf) and now he is mostly blind.  He is a grotesque creature that, up until recently, would eat almost anything, delighted in rolling in feces and would projectile vomit on people, without warning, and with stunning accuracy I might add.  His despicable flatulence deserves being noted as well as his overly loud snoring, both aiding me in finding his location.  Yes, this traveling carnage is my current walking buddy.  (Gotta make the best of your situation).  Jude is much smaller than Broli, so the rhythm isn’t quite there, as his feet tick-tick-tick quicker to keep up and ahead of me walking.  He is a good dog though – now that he is blind and deaf – so he does not notice when other dogs are around or barking at him.  I am not able to fully relax while walking with him any more though.  I need to spend quite a bit of time watching him, making sure he does not run in to things on the walk.  The poor monster cannot see and thus I must give him a quick tug on his lead to let him know when he needs to pick up his head (which he almost drags along the ground – he actually kicks himself in the jowls as he walks) to avoid hitting steps, planters, uneven concreate, fences, garbage cans, poles…you get the picture.  A lot of my suburban walks center around walking Jude.  Or watching my daughter Catawba-Lynn.  She is very much mobile (being four years old) and thus a handful to watch.  Driveways, alleys, street corners – these things are of no concern to my daughter – no concern at all!  My almost daily walks sound something like “Catawba!  Driveway! – Jude, get over here.  Tawbs – the alley!  Do you see the car?!  Damnit Jude – the fence!  Catawba-Lynn stop!  I have to clean up after Jude!”  I must be a delight to my neighbors.  But these are enjoyable walks compared to when my daughter does not feel like walking or is bored with the walk.  Then she lags behind and I have to repeatedly tell her to hurry up and get in front of me.  I hate turning around and pausing on my walks more than anything else.  I prefer to walk my maniac dog, Bulma, (whom I currently can only walk at night/early morning or in inclement weather, so she is not around other distractions, such as dogs) over continually stopping or turning around on my walk.

Tawbs became my walking buddy because, well, she is my daughter!  What was I supposed to do?  Lock her in her crib while I went out for a walk?  I would take her out in her stroller as a newborn and walk the dogs.  We did this daily.  I would time our walks for when she would be headed for a nap, that way she would get her nap in the stroller and not be stuck sedentary for long periods of time.  I didn’t want her to wake up from her nap, only to need to sit somewhat still as I walked.  When my walking distances increased and I started hiking, I needed something a bit more than a regular stroller.  My husband and I happened upon a used Chariot jogger for $75!!  That thing was a game changer.  I called it my “perpetual motion machine” as it was effortless to use and begged for longer walks and adventure.  Catawba-Lynn could move around in it better when she was awake, as it was a side-by-side seat and rode and slept comfortably as I walked and hiked.

Catawba-Lynn has a lust for adventure.  I am so proud of it.  She spots trails and calls out which way we should go on our walks.  It is fantastic.  I am just in a stage with Tawbs where she is not alert and does not want to listen.  My focus is split between her and Jude – but I will take it if it means going out for a walk or a hike.

Jude is 13, will be 14 in April, 2021.  He is old but still has spunk.  I cherish each walk I get with him, knowing that all too soon I will not have my walking buddy.  And this is one of the things that gets me out and moving as often as possible.  I love getting out there but some days it feels like a chore, but then I remember that I only have so much time left with Jude.  The finite times that I will be able to spend doing couple mile, mundane, every day, suburban walks with Jude gets me out and gets me appreciating the day, even if I am bored with the same neighborhood walk.  Hiking is a treat all on its own, but it is extra special because Catawba-Lynn lights up over the chance to go for a new hike – a new adventure!  She could really be giving me a headache with her attitude, inattentiveness, or her just plain stubbornness, but we can turn it all around with getting out on a new adventure.  And these instances are special to me – they keep me going – craving that next activity.  I love that I can share my love for adventure with meaningful people.

When it does come time that Jude is no longer able to be my walking buddy, I will be looking at Bulma to take his place.  Right now, that is difficult as her walking limitations are large.  She spends the whole walk pacing and spastically looking for whatever might be out.  If she hears a dog – whining and pulling on her lead commence.  If she sees another dog, she loses focus and refuses to listen or follow along.  She freaks out when dogs rush at her.  Most of my Bulma walks are spent avoiding known dog areas and scouting ahead to see what dogs might be out.  This is not relaxing, or fun really, but a necessity for Bulma and I’s health.  It will also help her normalize on walks again.  She wasn’t always crazy – so I am confident I can get her back on normal walks again.  When Jude passes I will be enrolling her into some one-on-one classes to better address her fears and anxiety.  Hopefully then our walks can be more enjoyable. And Bulma also has undiagnosed health issues – most likely hip dysplasia. We will be getting that diagnosis this year (2021). Bulma is incapable of going for walks longer than a couple of miles at a time, but I am confident we can figure something out. Working within these parameters, we will see how things go in the near future.

Not everyone needs a walking buddy.  I personally have never walked without my dogs.  I walked them all over the West Milwaukee area when I was younger – exploring the VA grounds and the space over by the baseball stadium.  I spent hours exploring in and around the Menomonee River.  Now, there are restaurants and bike trails and yuppy things to do, but in the 90’s and early 2000’s, the Menomonee River was a dump.  It was highly polluted, mistreated and considered an eyesore.  I did not have many other options for adventure, being young and living in the city.  I would lace up my boots, leash up the dogs and head down to the river, several times returning home covered in mud with three equally muddy dogs in tow.  Having a dog as a walking buddy is natural – necessary – to me.  I hope that Catawba-Lynn grows up with these same memories and love for her pets and adventures.

So, if you are having trouble finding the passion to get out there and walk, maybe get your dog in on it.  Maybe invite your kids or spouse.  Do not have any of these?  Borrow a dog from a relative or neighbor.  Can’t?  Walk with a friend or co-worker.  Still not an option?  Walk with the intent to share your adventures with someone.  These are just some options to make getting out there more satisfying.  Who is your walking buddy?  Let me know (especially if it is a pup) in the comments!  Have a great one everyone!

*Important Note:
When hiking in a new area – PLEASE educate yourself on the dangers and nuances of the area before heading out. What animals can eat you out on the trail? Can you identify that snake? Is that spider a friendly spider? Is this a safe neighborhood to be in? Put some thought into what you are doing.

**Edit:
Jude has retired as my walking buddy. I took him out on virtual dog sports race, Cyber Dog Derby, on Saturday, 2/20/21. (We recorded our walking times – knowing we would come in last. Still fun!) We did the 4-mile race, but ended up walking 5.95 miles all together. Afterwards, Jude has requested that he no longer go on these long walks. He actually requested that I limit his walks to under 1.5 miles – preferably around the block or so. (I can read my dogs, I know what they want and need). I am thrilled that Jude gave me my first dog sports race – Bulma “competing” the second day with the 2-mile race. Again, we walked. But now it is time to let Jude snooze most of the day. My attention shifted to Bulma and I started walking her much more often – waking up early, getting a quick mile and a half in at night, and going to our area hiking spot on off times or in the rain. But these walks have been hurting Bulma. She cannot go “long” distances and needs breaks every couple of days. So we (the family) are again revisiting the need for a third dog – my next walking buddy. I started this third-dog-process in April/2020, but shelved it with our out of state move officially happening. Now that we are in our new home with a pretty stable routine, we think it is time to revisit looking into getting a third dog.

Any way. Let’s see some pictures of your walking buddy pups!