2012 K9Kamp Challenge: Why Paige and I are Kamping...

A few days ago I read a post by my Facebook friend and writer, Peggy Frezon, about K9Kamp, which piqued my curiosity. Peggy explained that there would be exercise challenges each week for participants to complete with their dogs, and assured me I could modify them to fit my physical limitations. Another component of K9Kamp would involve blogging about our weekly challenge experiences. This sounded like fun, but there was another reason I decided to participate. 

Paige is prepared for "walkies" in all kinds of weather.

I've only had my dog Paige for about five months. She was a rescue, and was underweight when we adopted her; but at her last checkup, the vet said she'd filled out a little too much and needed to lose two or three pounds. I needed to lose...more, and had started doing Weight Watchers online. I was doing well with weight loss, but finding it difficult to exercise and was looking for a weight-loss/exercise buddy. I had just finished reading Peggy's book, Dieting with My Dog, and found it very inspiring. It was then that I thought perhaps my buddy could be Paige!

I originally began this blog as an extension of a print column I've written for over twenty years for a monthly newsletter. But shortly afterward, a year-long series of events, including the death of my service dog, Mindy, and two weeks later Paige's adoption, took a toll on my health which was already taxed by chronic pain and illness. So, I'd had to put the pet blog on the back burner. K9Kamp sounded like a great opportunity to revive "PetWise Online."

Is that a squirrel over there?

Paige is all muscle and, being a young dog (she's about three years old), has more energy than Mindy had, and certainly more than I have. Due to years of chronic pain, my body has become an alien entity that reacts to movement with pain and exhaustion. It has become very energy efficient, preferring inertia to exercise. So, while Paige's biggest challenge will be focusing on what we're doing (she's easily distracted), mine will be to tackle the exercises in a way that won't land me flat on my back in bed.

Both Paige and I have already taken some steps toward becoming more fit. I've cut back on her dog biscuits and substituted pieces of an orange or apple (without seeds) which she really enjoys. I also now limit her puzzle ball (filled with treats) to a couple of times a week as a meal replacement instead of every day in addition to meals. For myself, I've replaced high calorie desserts with fruit, increased intake of fruits and vegetables and cut back on carbs, and I keep a food journal.

K9Kamp, here we come!

Paige has a lot of enthusiasm and enjoys the training I'm doing with her (basic obedience, as well as learning the service behaviors I need her to perform for me), so I'm sure she'll dive right in when we start the challenges. I'm a bit skeptical of my ability to keep up, but I'm willing to try. So, K9Kamp, here we come!

If you'd like to be part of the 2012 K9Kamp Challenge, you can get more information at these links:

Kol's Notes


Peggy's Pet Place