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| The smiling husky |
Spike is definitely responding well to his hydrotherapy
sessions and the personal training plan that I have adapted for him…
He loves his twice weekly trips to Top Dog Hydrotherapy where he gets to splash in water, eat treats and have the undivided attention of all the people in the room! I don’t like the 4am starts that I have to endure in order for him to make his after work appointments but his happiness and improvement makes it all worthwhile.
He loves his twice weekly trips to Top Dog Hydrotherapy where he gets to splash in water, eat treats and have the undivided attention of all the people in the room! I don’t like the 4am starts that I have to endure in order for him to make his after work appointments but his happiness and improvement makes it all worthwhile.
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| Happy husky preparing for his hydro therapy |
Our family home is a hive of activity, with two full time working and running humans and a pack of huskies. There is always something happening and it is rare for us to “just sit down”. We refuse to confine Spike to cage rest as we know the impact that will have on his mental well-being. As a result Spike can dash around to his heart’s content, get up to mischief and generally live the life of a “normal” puppy…
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| In action at Top Dog Hydrotherapy |
And why should he not do that? Yes he has physical impairments that restrict his ability, but he knows that. He knows his limits and when he has reached them he stops. He may limp for a while and he may be a little stiff every time he rises, but he is happy and that is what matters most. This little dude wants to run and wants to have fun and I will not refuse him that.
Spike’s circumstances are not far from my own – I was once
told I would be a cripple by the age of 30 and that I should not even attempt to
run further than a mile…. I guess representing
Great Britain twice in ultra distance events has proven that sometimes triumph
can be achieved against adversity and the human body and mind is actually a lot
stronger than some people believe.
Spike is not human, but in my experience huskies are much
stronger and much more determined than us humans….
It has been very emotional recently for Ian and I, all in
relation to Spike and whether we are doing the right thing for him.
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| Brentwood Station - where the angels found Spike |
Ian visited the place where Spike was rescued and we found the people
responsible for saving his life. We owe them
so much gratitude for what they did when so many other people would just have
walked on by and the result would be that Spike would not have lived beyond the
age of six months…
Knowing what we now know has made Ian and I even more
determined to ensure that Spike has the life he deserves. A puppy abandoned by humans, neglected and
close to death, he refuses to dislike humans.
He loves people and he loves life, even though he has just reason to
hate and to distrust humans.
So, long story short, while Spike remains in our care he
will live life as we do. If he wants to
run the wall of death around the garden he can.
When I take him out and he wants to break into a run, I am not going to
stop him.
While Spike lives with us and we are responsible for making
decisions for him, we will make them based on his happiness. And to him running = happiness. Well he is a husky after all!
And why am I confident that our approach is the best
approach?
Because Spike is proving to us that what we are doing is working, he is getting better and stronger each and every week.
Because Spike is proving to us that what we are doing is working, he is getting better and stronger each and every week.
No doubt I will continue to question my ability to cope with
the situation in the coming weeks and months.
Question whether I am doing the right thing by letting Spike live by my
convictions. But each and every time I
do I will look to Spike for guidance – if he is happy then I know that what I
am doing is right.
I am a dreamer and as I work towards one of my ultimate
dreams, Spike will continue to pursue his own destiny with guidance from us. I would love for him to join me in this dream
and there is a big part of me that believes he will.
(Photos courtesy of tzruns and me....)
