Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Blue Ridge guide dog origin
A little encouragement can go a long way when it comes to staying fit.
People turn to a personal trainer to keep them focused and on task during workouts on those spinners and ellipiticals and simulated flights of stairs and what not.
A little enthusiasm from a second party can help the tired and the sweaty find renewed energy to apply to more repetitions.
But wouldn't it be nice if you could have a personal trainer that motivated you without saying a word? A trainer who only led by example?
Let me share what has worked with me four the last four years: I've lost about 15 pounds without any fad diets.
I eat whatever I want, but then I go out and walk somewhere between one and two miles every day I get a chance.
My walking partner makes sure of that.
To fully disclose: I originally lost a great deal of weight when I was on my work-obsessively-on-your-fixer-upper-60-year-old-home-to-the-exclusion-of-all-else-including-meals phase.
But my purchase of a domicile allowed me to bring home the energetic little thing who pulls me along for extended walks.
Taking her on the trail is much preferable than cleaning up after an accident due to my negligence, after all.
Of course, I'm talking about my combination Australian shepherd/blue heeler/whatever-else mutt. I found her in the Galax-Carroll-Grayson Animal Shelter in Virginia and I adopted her for only $15, plus the cost of her operation...
(Spaying and neutering is required for all animals from the pound.)
The dog, a tri-colored, short-haired puppy with blue eyes, tricked me at the pound because she made very little commotion and, in fact, didn't much stir from wherever I plopped her down when we got home.
But as soon as I rolled in a ball on the floor, she got over her shyness and came alive and pounced on me and nipped me repeated with the tiny sharp teeth that puppies have.
After that, she was ready to go all the time.
That dog, whom I named Sydney because of the Australia connection, could fetch for hours on end. I'd no sooner throw a toy as far as I could, but she'd be back with it and jumping on me to make sure that I knew she'd be willing to go get it again.
Just a little at the end of my leash, I discovered the dog could relax after a protracted walk.
Maybe 'relax' isn't the best word, but she'd lie down and be still for a while.
That was just about when the Beaver Dam Walking Trail opened locally.
Thankfully, Sydney and I can take care of several issues at once by visiting the trail.
We both get exercise. It's possibly the most I've ever had in my life. It's certainly the most I've done voluntarily and consistently.
When you go from no more walking than absolutely necessary to pumping those legs about five times a week for an average of 1.7 miles a day, it's got to do some good. After all, that works out to about 442 miles a year.
Not only that, but they say a person's mental health improves whenever they exercise and enjoy nature.
And there's the idea that a person's blood pressure goes down with the companionship of a pet.
The dog caused me to rearrange my priorities and reexamine what I do and how.
Thanks to her, I'm about as healthy as I've ever been.
A mascot with merit
Happiness is... a tail-wagging mascot.
Were I less modest, or less bound by conflicts of interest, I might have proposed my own four-legged and furry walking companion to become the feel-good symbol that Hillsville officials sought in 2006.
It's more than just pet parent pride — to me, at least, my dog Sydney has changed the way I look at the town. Southwest Virginia, and indeed the world.
Let me explain.
The dog and I serve as faithful walkers on the town's Beaver Dam Trail, and we've probably made it there at most more than 300 times a year since the path first opened.
On top of that, we regularly walk on the New River Trail, and we actively search out other places to enjoy the outdoors, as well.
People might not remember seeing me on any of our outings on those trails, because when they pass us going the other way, they often have their eyes locked on the dog, while cooing in that tone reserved for cute babies and critters.
Many of them don't talk to me directly, but exclaim, "Oh, what a beautiful doggy," while looking her into her eyes.
She might favor the complimenter with a wag of the tail.
We say thank you and move on.
Again, this isn't just a puffed-up parent talking about a single example of such flattery — this happens on a regular basis when we meet strangers.
Sydney makes most people feel welcome, but other canines can sometimes feel her Australian shepherd protectiveness in the form of snarling and barking. (To other dog- owners and -walkers, we apologize for any inconvenience.)
The animal does draw attention wherever she goes.
Twice while visiting attractions on the Blue Ridge Parkway — Linville Falls and Mabry Mill — tourists asked me all about her tri-colored coat and blue-white eyes and then requested a photo of the dog.
I thought it was funny that my dog became one of the features photographed at the most photographed attraction on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
So she had in her favor being friendly to people and photogenic, as well as being a staple on the town trail.
But there's more: When a rabies outbreak happened in Virginia's Twin Counties a while back, Sydney unflinchingly acted as a poster-dog for protecting other animals by getting the vaccination in a photograph to accompany a newspaper article.
Arguably the most famous dog in Hillsville, Sydney has already helped to symbolize the town by appearing in action on the trail on the television show "All in a Day's Drive," promoting tourist destinations in Virginia.
And I've written before how, in a way, the dog has served as my muse in learning about the outdoors.
Her hyperactivity as a puppy convinced me that we couldn't just stay in the house and throw the ball 100 times straight to play fetch all day.
We had to get out and walk in order to burn off some of that energy.
Worked like a charm... with an unintended side effect of deepening my love for Hillsville and other parts of Southwestern Virginia we've seen. I started thinking about her as my Blue Ridge guide.
And that's why, if I could, I would submit Sydney's nomination for Hillsville's mascot.
• Originally posted in The Gazette, Galax, Va., in December 2006
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