Rescue Journal

Heads Up...ALL off site dog walks are on hold right now.

Carol  ·  Jan. 29, 2010

the mp guys have had way too much exercise lately (some days they are getting MANY walks every day)....champ can't get up from his bed tonight, doris is virtually comatose, lucky will not get up for anyone any more if they have a leash in hand and dusty is so stressed out from too many walks by too many people to too many places for her blind dog coping skills to handle that she is aggressively taking out her stress on the other guys...tonight, no one is having any fun.

this is my fault..i used to have a no off site walks for anyone policy...our guys are not "regular dogs"...they have debilitating chronic and terminal diseases, they have profound physical disabilities and they aren't all that bright either. dogs will walk as far as they possibly can with no thought at all that once they are tired and sore and decide to stop that they have the exact same distance again to walk back....it literally can kill them at worst (old dogs can die instantly from over exertion strokes or heart attacks) or at the very least, make them very sore and need a lot of pain meds and rest to recover....too much of a good thing for an old, sick or disabled dog is apparently not so good after all....i KNEW i had that rule for a reason!


so here is the plan...ALL off site dog walks are currently on hold. only myself, the staff, or laura and maggie can walk any of the dogs (this is because i have only had a chance to talk with these folks at length on the limitations of each individual dogs exercise allowence.)

i will sometime in the next week, design a very specific and individual dog walking plan for each dog allowed to go for walks. and i will connect with anyone who actually walks them to make sure we all are clear.

there will be no new dog walkers allowed into the dog walking program...only the current people (after i have the care plans done and they meet with me to go over them) who now walk dogs will be able to continue. any new volunteers who ask to do dog walks will be told that our dog walking program is very specific and limited due to their health issues and currently full....but hey...we could use help with poop scooping and laundry..the dogs are more than happy to hang out with folks doing that too!!!

not everyone reads the blog...so please, all volunteers make sure you pass this on to anyone who needs to know and if you see anyone going for a walk with anyone except myself, the staff or laura and maggie..please let them know all dog walks temporarily are on hold until i get each dog's individual walking program written out.
thx

Comments

Colleen

I certainly understand what you mean about the stress from the dogs. Dusty could not focus on me on her way up the driveway ( where as normally she is all over the place ) Robert and Jen are such dedicated walkers I wonder if they could stroll down to the pond with some house dogs?