My Fit Healthy Happy...Dog?

In my quest to live a more fullfilling and happier life I need to not only think about myself, but also those creatures who are in my life as well. Specifically, my dog Odin.

Summer hike up Mt. Ellen!

Odin on the night I brought him home!

Odin is my best friend (or fur-baby as some refer to it!). He has seen me through a lot in the almost 3 years I've had him, a divorce, countless moves, a sick family member, new love and a barrage of different dogs who have come in and out of his life. Through all that he has stayed loyal, happy and content. If he has a place to sleep (usually next to me on the bed or the couch) and food (hopefully lots of treats), he is happy. But over the years he hasn't exactly been the most fit dog on the block. I blame his lack of fitness on many factors:

• His adorable face makes it hard (for anyone) to say no to giving him treats
• I haven't always given him enough exercise



Office dog hard at work

• Turns out I may have been overfeeding him during this 2 meals a day

 As his owner it is my responsibility to make sure that he is taken care of, and unfortunately I haven't been doing a very good job. So adding onto my goals for the year are a few goals for Odin:

• Lose 6-8 pounds (that would put him at a healthy weight according to my vet)
• Stop feeding him treats all the time (save those for special occasions)
• Get him out and get moving every day for at least 1 hour (that will be good for both of us)
• Schedule more doggy play dates
  

  

  Post-swim pic with O's summer haircut!

Loving time in the woods!

To help my on my quest to give him the most fit healthy happy life he can, I have made some changes. First, I purchased a hands free dog leash (we've tried it out twice and he loves it). Now we can run together and I don't have to worry about carrying a bulky annoying leash. I just clip it on and we are off and running! He has joined me on my lunch hour runs for the past few weeks and loves it. One nice thing about a long haired shaggy dog is that they don't mind the cold at all! I also have found a different scoop for his food that allows me to measure how much I am giving him (turns out the old scoop I was using was a lot bigger and I didn't even realize it). 

The cold doesn't bother us!

Finishers medal!

Odin and Maple (my parents pup)

As much as I want to believe that Odin will be by my side forever, the reality is that someday he will be gone. My hope though is that 2014 will become the year of health and fitness for both us of! I hope he will be by my side for many many years to come.

Odin and his brother Crosby

Odin and Zoe (my sisters dog)

My handsome Odin-Bear!