I don’t have kids. I have two dogs. They’re my kids. And I love them. And they are a LOT of dog between the two of them. Charley Rose is my 8-year-old girl. Payton is my 5-year-old boy. They’re both German Shepherds – super smart, super obedient and just all around awesome four-legged kids.
So, as a good dog-parent, I know it’s important to keep my kids healthy and take them to the vet for check-ups and their yearly exam. In our most recent visit to the vet, I was informed my dogs are in great health… with the exception of one thing. They’re even MORE dog than usual. Yup – they’re overweight.
This is actually a brand new thing for us. These two have been lean, mean running machines since the day they were each born. That picture above is about three years old. But, let’s face it, they’re getting up there in years. And I didn’t even REALIZE how much weight they’d put on over the last year. It seems in my OWN quest for fitness, I completely forgot to keep an eye on the dogs! Bad mom!!!
Charley is only about 5 pounds over where she needs to be. She’s always been on the petite side (for a German Shepherd). But Payton has about 12 pounds to lose. He’s 104 pounds right now. And the vet would like to see him at around 92. Here he is, looking sheepish at the vet after his weigh-in.
So, we’re being a little more strict with how much food they each get. And we’re trying to go on longer walks. These two are definitely not lazy! They just need Mom to pay a little more attention to THEIR fitness too. I guarantee they’re up for the challenge. And in the process, I’m sure I’ll get healthier too. We’ll be fitter as a family!
