Sadie's fine, Sam's fine, all's fine....and the whippets are coming!

Sadie's episode has so far not repeated itself, though we haven't done more exercise than walking at a leisurely pace down to the park and back - a distance of a couple of blocks each way. Her heart seems normal, and her behaviour around the house is normal, so it looks like Exercise Induced Collapse is the most likely diagnosis. The vet can't rule out some other problem without sending us to a specialist on the mainland, but even if there is another cause (such as a brain tumor, or a heart problem that only manifests itself upon exertion) there really wouldn't be much we could do about it other than what I am already doing - giving her the best possible life for the rest of her life. However, as a precautionary measure, I am no longer taking her on the longer brisker walks with Sam.

I think I'll be a couch potato

For that matter, I'm giving Sam a break too. On Tuesday night he was pacing much of the night and couldn't get comfy, and on Wednesday morning he didn't want to eat all his food, didn't get excited when I picked up his leash, and his ears, head and tail just looked kinda...well....sad. He had a groomer's appointment, which we kept, and they noted that his muscles on the inside of his thighs were tender and he kept jerking away when touched there. We decided we were maybe overdoing the walks, especially as some of it was on pavement rather than the soft dirt trails I believe he is used to. My groomer also did a little magic on him with some sort of crystal pendant, and though I am eternally a skeptic, I was astounded when after about fifteen minutes of treatment he suddenly stood up, ears upright, tail upright, eyes bright, and started barking happily at me! And he's been fine ever since!

Ha ha fooled ya! I'm just fine!

So he is fine today, Sadie is fine today, Charley is fine, Allie is fine........and I have more or less recovered too. But Allie won't be fine tomorrow because she is going to be shut in my bedroom for the weekend --- Ellen and the whippets are coming to visit. They have a lure coursing event near here and so get to bunk down in my spare room. And while the whippets live with a cat, they also have a high prey drive so we're not taking any chances!

And if I don't get busy cleaning the house, the whippets won't need to go to lure coursing on Saturday - they will be able to chase the bunnies (dust bunnies, that is) right here in the house.

But let me leave you with a few more pictures:

I get a chuckle out of three black-and-white dogs who miraculously appear every time I go to the kitchen:

Food? Is it time for Food??

Sam and I enjoyed a half hour on the beach yesterday, just breathing the salt air and letting the breeze blow our cares away:

Sam at the beach

Sam at the beach (2)

Sam has very clear communication skills. When he decides he wants something, he plants himself in front of me and gives me "The Look". And he doesn't budge or blink until I respond to his request:

You WILL take me for a walk. NOW!

I saw a splash of red on the beach yesterday so had to check it out. It was a solitary leaf, in autumn colours, lying amid the grey pebbles and black sand:

Red leaf on beach

After my co-columnist, Liz, and I wrote our submission for this month's Chemainus Courier, I went in search of a photo to illustrate our article about family outdoor activities in Crofton.. The mom of these two boys, Sterling and Oakley, kindly gave me permission to photograph them for publication. This family doesn't have internet and doesn't have television - they spend an average of four hours a day outdoors, and the beach is one of their favourite places. As their mom said, the world is their school -- and they are doing science at the beach:

And here is it June, still cold and raining with only the occasional few hours of sunshine every couple of days. The coldest April/May on record (since 1937) according to the news - I hope it doesn't become the coldest June too. The dogs and I would like some warmth....right after we conquer those dust bunnies.