Today’s theme was fetch, fetch, and more fetch! We played for a bit this morning and then again this afternoon. Griffin had some extra energy today – goofing around pretending not to go after the ball until I acted like I was going to get it and lots of grassy scritches in the middle of our game. Enjoy the videos (and check out how fast he is running in the third one)!
xoxo Stacy
Griffin has been playing fetch for a while now, but with me soft tossing a ball in a field closer to the entrance of Dyckman Fields. This morning we walked to the soccer pitch, almost to the end of the park, and I used the ball launcher to throw the ball much further. He doesn’t yet have the stamina to play more than a few rounds (he didn’t make it all the way back to me in the video below), but I think Griffin was happy to stretch his legs a bit more than the 30 feet of fetch that we’ve been playing.
This afternoon we meandered for a bit in Fort Tryon Park. The last photo and second video show Griffin walking up the side off the path which has a pretty decent slope. I guess he does have some mountain goat in him – and is showing off practicing a decline exercise out in nature!
The pollen has been killing me these last few days, but the outdoors make Griffin so happy, so I persevere (and wear a face mask!).
xoxo Stacy
Taking a breather while playing fetch (see the barge in the background?).
Admiring the view of the Hudson River on the walk home.
Enjoying the sunshine on the slope while balancing
We made it back to the end of Dyckman Fields this morning, a new resting spot for Griffin where he evidently finds his zen. Griffin would like for you to please note the flower he is sporting in this photo!
Today’s stroll was still leisurely, but we made the 2 mile round-trip in about 1.5 hours (30 minutes less than yesterday), with lots of rest stops along the way, usually caused by people wanting to say hello to him. Griffin was always a people magnet before, but now people are curious about his life as a tripawd. Some of the comments are silly (“He only has one leg!” and after being corrected, the person sheepishly replied, “I meant only 1 in the front.”), many are pitying (which I quickly shut down with “He still has one more leg than we do!”), and all are in awe of how well he is adapting and thriving. Some dog parents are hesitant to allow their large or rambunctious pups to play with Griffin for fear of hurting him, but they quickly see that he can hold his own and still put rowdy puppies in their place!
Our longer walks definitely wear out Griffin and he spends the majority of the day napping. The photos below are from yesterday and today.
Enjoy your daily dose of Griffin zen! xoxo Stacy
Happy boy with his ball after a short game of fetch today.
Today we celebrate two milestones!
First, today is Griffin’s one month ampuversary. Looking back to my first post on April 2, 2020, I am amazed at how far Griffin has come in such a short period of time! I remember Dr. Spector telling me that Griffin would be getting around well at 2 weeks and back to normal activities at 4 weeks, so I tried to temper my expectations when he came home. I guess nobody told Griffin that he needed to take his time with recovery, that he shouldn’t be able to play fetch 10 days after surgery or give high-5s on his hind legs at all. Griffin truly exemplifies the idea of living in the now, and I’m thrilled to be along for the ride!
Griffin checking out the Hudson River.
Our second milestone is that Griffin walked 2 miles today and made it back to the point at Dyckman Fields completely under his own power! When we arrived, Griffin stood looking at the view for about 10 minutes. I’m sure part of that was needing to rest after walking a mile, but I also think that he was reveling in his accomplishment. Our stroll this morning/afternoon took close to two hours with several stops to rest (and a very short pupnap – see video below!), but the weather was glorious, the view divine, and the company phenomenal, so neither of us was in a rush to make it back home.
Enjoy the photos and videos below!
xoxo Stacy
Griffin took a moment to lay among the cherry blossoms.
We got good news today! Griffin’s blood test results came back and while his white blood cell and platelets counts have dropped (as is expected with chemo), they are still within the normal range. This was the second blood test run after his first round of chemo, and with no concerns with either, he should not need any additional blood tests after future rounds of chemo. His second round is scheduled for May 15th and I hope he sails through with no side effects like he did with the first round of chemo!
Our walk this morning was a rainy one, but that did not stop Griffin from rolling in the soggy grass multiple times – and looking quite proud of himself when doing so!
Fast forward 8 hours and the sun was shining brightly, so of course that meant more rolls in the grass! I also took a series of photos (see above) of Griffin enjoying some grassy scritches and his expressions are priceless! Below are photos of a drenched Griffin after our morning walk and the two of us enjoying the sunshine together this evening! And rounding out today’s post are videos of his soggy morning and sunshiny evening romps!
xoxo Stacy
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