Sarah I guess I’d better start by declaring some pretty ugly truths about us... such as my dog is lazy and will sleep for 25 hour a day if allowed to. He’s got short legs, long (as well as thick) fur and is potbellied. These aren’t enormous problems, I suppose, he’s much like other dogs I know. However, living in the countryside he presents challenges, such as not being able to get over stiles. I have to lift 10kg over the fence so that we can continue on our way. This is all fine except when his undercarriage is wet and muddy (which it often is), grappling with him is horrible. Stile navigation leaves me with a vulnerable back and muddy wet hands. I’d just like to point out here that it is countryside ‘mud’ we’re talking about; I shall leave it right there in the annals of your imagination (I spell checked that fifty times before I pressed print!).
OK, so I could just walk him when it’s dry, but even that can be problematic. His low slung girth attracts a fine yellow dust which he generously deposits throughout the house. In all fairness this aspect we can cope with, the one thing he can't cope with is the heat. We keep his coat shaved, even in winter time, just to keep him cool, but he feels it terribly. Take him in the early morning then I hear you cry! Which I would, but...
This is where my ugliness comes to the fore. Whilst I love being outside I find it all too easy to put off walking Percy when it’s been raining or if it is lashing down. Once back from a walk I then have the shenanigans of washing him off and drying him which adds 40 mins (on a good day) to the whole debacle. My days are filled from start to finish. There aren’t many minutes during the day when I’m not up to something. Painting, writing, decorating, gardening, visiting my parents, volunteering for Macmillan, giving Reiki etc etc, there is always something to do: time is precious to me, isn’t it precious to everyone? I like to do an hour of yoga each morning, so if I did that and walked the dog it’d be lunchtime before I knew it. Maybe I could do my yoga while Keith is getting ready for work? This is something I'm going to try during the challenge. Now is the perfect time for me to start my 100 day challenge. The purpose of this challenge is greater than the health of my dog. I want to start a coaching program for people who have in mind their own challenges. I want to create a community where we can support each other as we go through the pain of achieving what feels impossible together. How can I coach it if I don’t know the challenges that my coachees will face? One last thing before I start this malarky. He may be a chunky monkey and a little unfit at the moment, but then so am I. He walks a lot during the week, but they are not regular walks (which is the bit I want to change). He gets lots of enrichment in his life, has wonderful doggy pals (both human and canine) and we adore him. I mean, with a face like that, who wouldn’t!