bagel and i haven’t been on a full blown walk in almost 3 weeks. we started walking to the fire hydrant about 12 days ago. a few days later he began limping as we were passing my house, so we haven’t been active since. i told myself i would make adjustments for bagel, but sitting around resting just feels too stagnant. they say swimming for us (humans) is the best full body workout we partake in, so why would that be any different for bagel? plus, a lot of dogs with hip/joint problems use hydrotherapy to successfully recover from surgery/manage pain. bagel only has maybe a wrist or a splint issue in his front right leg, so fortunately his injury isn’t as serious. with that in mind, i brought him to lake norman to go for a swim. we went swimming for an hour and he did great! he used to be so scared of water, and although he is still a bit apprehensive, he is willing to work through his fear. he willingly ran into the water, but once it began getting deeper, he leaned on me. that’s when i held him and he swam in place. bagel has taught me over the years that love is more a product of trust than it is of comfort. you have to be able to be open enough to be vulnerable to let someone in by way of trust, no matter what it is. and trust, being vulnerable isn’t comfortable whatsoever.
all in all, it was a good day at the lake with my son. he got the opportunity to be active without his joints taking the toll and i got the opportunity to deepen our bond we have in this physical world.
-ratha, 7:34pm, 7.24.20