13/07/2022
Those who know me know I used to be an army dog trainer. I learned two things while I was in the army working with dogs, both are still a daily part of my life.
First: you always sort your dog out before you sort yourself out.
Are they thirsty or hungry? Do they need anything at this point? Every day without fail, I follow this rule that I learned so many years ago. Dogs’ can’t just fill up a water bowl, they can’t stop a griping hunger in their stomach on their own, but we can. So I choose to meet their needs before I work on my own, and I always will.
Second: you always move at the slowest man’s pace.
This lesson taught me everything about living with older, slower dogs. As dogs get older, they run less. Older dogs sniff more. They sniff everything. Senior dogs might be stiff and achy and need to cover less ground, but they cover that ground at a slower pace.
Please consider their needs and go at their pace.
It’s not fair to leave them behind or pull them along.
