December 23, 2010 Mika Goes for a Walk

We took some time to brush Mika's tail and coat before going on a walk.  Notice that she is lifting her right rear leg a little while standing.   That leg is the one that needs a second repair to be noted in later blogs.  You can feel that the muscle is somewhat atrophied because she cannot use that leg effectively.  However, it is only occasionally that you can tell that she is limping or favoring the leg.  On a walk, she can pull as if nothing is wrong at all.

I have been walking Mika almost all of the time because she is such a strong puller.  However, it is hard to use a camera to take photos that illustrate how this action that is taking place almost all the time on a walk.  Below are a couple of photos I took when Katy decided to take her for a walk.  In one she is yowling because she wants to get going.  I will need to take video of her pulling behavior at some time in the near future.

First, I will note that she gets very excited when she thinks she is being prepared for a walk.  She will even lift her head and poke it into the Easy Walk Harness when you are just trying to get it ready.  She will go right to the door and it is possible to get her to sit before you open it.  However, as soon as the sound of the door knob sounds she is up and pushing to get out.  It is quite difficult to keep her from rushing out before the door is fully open and we always have to hold her back.  As soon as she can she rushes out and pulls the leash hard, looking and smelling the first things she encounters.  We are working on getting her to stay longer and wait for the door to be opened before she can go through.  This seems to work better when we are just letting her out in the back yard.  When she knows she is going for a walk though, it is not so easy to control her.  She will rush the door and try to get her head and shoulders through.