My Walking Buddy

Tristan came to us as a foster dog from Oklahoma following the destructive Chickasha tornado of 2011. One of several displaced dogs that were transported to animal shelters around the country, he came with a severe case of heart worm and seemed to move in pain. The pain, it turned out, was more likely the consequence of arthritis, since he was a very senior yellow lab - further evidenced by the few teeth remaining in his mouth. Though a very pleasant personality, he was quite inactive, all of which would make it a challenge for him to be adopted into a new home following his month long recovery from the heart worm.

Fortunately, a friend of Bonnie's from the barn saw a picture of Tristan in an email Bonnie had shared with her horse friends. Earl and Starr Paton were without a dog for the first time in many years following the recent passing of their second of two labs. They immediately decided that a quiet senior lab would be the perfect replacement, and waited until he became available from the shelter to adopt him.

Fast forward to today, as we've had the privilege to take Tristan back into our home while Earl and Starr enjoy a long-planned one week Disney cruise to St. Martin. He was excited to see us and seemed to remember the place as he fell into a comfortable routine quickly.

Perfect timing for me, as I'm required to walk a lot as part of the healing process. He's still stiff and pained when he gets up to move around the house, but as soon as we step outside to explore the woods or visit our favorite creek crossing, he moves as he must have moved many years younger. Sniffing every set of animal tracks and every brush pile, he moves seamlessly through trees and around obstacles. Seldom more than a leash length away from me (which makes taking a picture of him challenging), he obeys instantly if I ask him to sit while traffic passes. It's obvious he once enjoyed walking the Oklahoma woods with former owners.

Walking along our favorite creek

Our pace is similar as we both breathe in the fresh and cold air, and our bodies both loosen as we stretch our stride a bit. He almost seems to smile with every turn and every stop. We both feel better as we  return to plop back down in front of the warmth of the fire place for his belly rub.