Thursday, January 30, 2014

One Persons Trash Is My Treasure!

She Overcame Her Fear Of The Water!
Daisy's Adoption Intake
I was going through the medical folder that I keep for my dogs and I came across the original adoption papers for my dog Daisy.  It brought back memories of the day I adopted her.  As I flipped though the papers I realized the name and number of the person who surrendered her was on the paperwork. I never noticed this before and I had mixed feelings about this person who I don't know.  I do remember that they told me that he said he found her running on the street however when they checked her for a microchip she had one and it went back to his name.  I was angry at this person for not only lying and not admitting that he just didn't want this dog but also for giving her up in the first place.  Then the more I thought about it I realized I should be thanking this guy because he brought to me one of the best things to come into my life.  I love all my dogs and they each bring me a special joy.  I have a unique connection with Daisy that I don't have with my other two dogs.  I have some ideas why this might be but I am not sure.  I have more issues with Daisy than the other two.  She has behavioral and aggression problems. I have hired an animal behaviorist and a trainer to tell me what to do with her and her "issues".  While I have worked through some things there are still underlying problems with her that I am sure go back to her life before I came along. Working with her has been somewhat of a bonding experience for both of us. It is me trying to understand her and her trying to protect and understand me.  Another reason I have a special bond with Daisy is that we always run together and through the years we have logged hundreds of miles.  I can't say I have ever had another running partner quite like her and I am sure I never will have another one.  I don't have to worry about what time of day we run morning or night and light or dark she would not let anyone come near me.  This is good when running in the dark but can cause problems on a daily basis and is one of the issues we are still working through.  She overcame her fear of water and loves to swim and go to the lake.  It is no surprise once she overcame her fear of the water she is an amazing swimmer.  

I thought about texting a picture of Daisy to the guy who gave her up. I might say something along the lines of, "thanks for giving me this amazing creature and I hope you never got another dog and will never own another in your life".  I doubt I will do that but it would make me feel better. Daisy currently weighs about 55lbs and that is with all the walking and running we do.  She is very muscular and fit and has amazing endurance.  When I got her she was grossly skinny and undernourished.  I saw on the intake form that she was 41lbs.  I don't understand why people treat animals badly or give them up when their lifestyle no longer fits with the dog.  I can't even imagine entertaining the thought of giving up my pets.

Looks at me like I am the queen!
She is a beauty
In the end I am overjoyed that this guy gave her up and I somehow found her.  I have learned from her, loved her, had fun with her, laughed at her, played with her, cuddled with her, ran with her, and she would run to the end of the earth for me.  I only hope there are many more years with her. When people meet me and my dogs they notice the connection that Daisy and I have.  She will sit by my side and look up and me waiting for me to do whatever it is I am going to do.  She is by my side and knows my habits, my routines, and I know hers.  It is really hard to describe the connection but if you are a dog owner it is likely you know what I am describing.  The man who gave her up has no idea what he gave up and lost.  My life is better with Daisy, Tigger and Spec.
She is amazing at agility!


Not a better running partner around

Out for a great trail run!



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Run For Fido

I am so passionate about keeping people and pets fit!  As both human and pet obesity continue to rise my quest seems never ending.  I make it a priority each day to get my dogs some exercise.  Some days between work and school I am busy 14 hours so I find myself walking them in the dark of the morning or evening.  I find ways to get it done I wear reflective gear I carry pepper spray and we manage to walk or run each day.  

I have dedicated a few days a week to running dogs at the local dog shelter.  The dogs I choose to run are high energy and dogs that need to be outside running. When I take them out to run I can tell they are so happy its as if they are smiling the entire time we are running.  The weekly visits to the local Nevada SPCA have put me on a path to help any way I can.  I have decided to participate in a 6-hour run called the Jackpot Ultra here in Vegas. I will run for 6-hours continuous and hope to run about 35 miles in 6-hours.  Part of my training is going to the shelter and running with the dogs.  I have set up a donations page and pledge page and people can sponsor me per mile for this run. All the money will go to the Nevada SPCA.  The shelter is a no-kill non-profit shelter that helps find homes for so many animals.  They get hard to adopt animals from the local kill shelter and try to find these dogs home.  I hope to raise $3,000 for the shelter.  

Queen Anne 
Margaret
I hope to raise the money to help the shelter but I also hope to bring awareness to some of the higher energy dogs that have been at the shelter for a long time.  These are dogs that need a home with active owners.  They love to run, hike, swim and play.  They are energetic, funny, goofy, balls of fur.  I have become so fond of many of them and wonder why they have not gotten adopted.  When people come to meet them they are often overly excited and interested in anything but the people there to see them, but that doesn't mean they won't make a great pet.  They have just not gotten to the the person but unfortunately people need to feel an immediate connection with a dog.  Sometimes a dog with a lot of energy this might not happen immediately.  I hope to have some of the dogs shown here at my run for people to see them in a new light. 
Meredith 
Andre

 You can donate by going to my website at www.coachcyndee.com and go to the Run For Fido tab.  You can either sign up to sponsor me or just donate a flat amount.