I broke my dog

Man-1, Beast-0

Not that I intended to keep score or anything but it turns out that getting the pooch (my 2 year old Golden Doodle-half golden retriever, half standard poodle) some good old fashioned exercise was more than the poor girl was ready for. I've always really thought having a "trail dog" that kept me company on solo trail rides would be cool. I've seen many dogs trouncing after their owners keeping up or even leading the way. I've even read articles in mountain biking magazines on these super canines and all of the health benefits of getting them regular rigorous exercise. So...yesterday I got off of work early in the afternoon and figured that a Tuesday in the early Fall would be a great chance to see just how my 72 pound friend would do if given the chance to run free. Right out of the truck she sprang to life unincumbered by a leash. With this sudden new found freedom it was obvious that she didn't know if she should stick around or make a break for it. She anxiously waited for me to clip in and start pedaling, but that was all the cue she needed. Kibbles took off like a rocket and to my complete amazement, she carved the trail ahead of me as if she were on a rail. She blazed along with more excitement than I've ever seen from this normally docile and gentle creature. Tongue wagging and running like a greyhound after a rabbit, she was admittedly difficult to keep up with. Then, as we were approaching the last section of trees before crossing the dirt road (at Tranquility) I passed her. She was laboring a bit so I opted to stop in a shaded area where we both took in some cold water from my bottle. We rested for a few minutes and then I clipped in once again and summoned her to follow. She picked up where we left off, but it was obvious that she didn't have the energy to zip along the trail as she did in the beginning. We made it to the road and I decided not to press on to the south side. The poor girl hadn't paced herself well (we've all been there). As I rode through the last section of the ride, she was having terrible difficulty keeping up. I kept calling to her encouraging her to finish strong but she just didn't have anything left in the tank. I actually had to lift her into the truck. I was pretty proud of her and how well she stuck to the trail. I was on cloud nine thinking that I too now have a "trail dog" that people will comment about and envy...

Flash forward a bit:

Kibbles cannot walk. She is hobbling around like a 20 year old dog stricken with the worse case of arthritis ever. Her legs are shaking with every step, and she limits those to only those that she has to take. This morning, more of the same. I call the vet and make an appointment. Diagnosis: Severe blisters on 3 of her feet. She spent most of the night chewing them off, exposing such tender spots that it pains her to even stand up. I feel HORRIBLE. The vet was encouraging however, in that he said that there's no reason to stop taking her on the trails (after she heals of course), just to ease her in to the distances a little at a time. Needless to say, I will proceed with great caution going forward. I just wanted to share in case you were thinking of taking your pooch out for a nice run on your local trails.