The Active all Season Dog

Having a dog that enjoys doing all sort of activites can sometimes be tiring on humans but most enjoyable to the dog.

 My dog and I enjoy countless activities regardless of the season.  We go hiking everyday, as long as the temperature is not over 27 Celsius degrees in the summer or -10 degrees in the winter  (also taking into account the windchill).

We have several places we go that are public paths, or we will also make our own paths in the woods. In the spring/summer I  always check my dog for any ticks, sticks or thorns that may have become attached to her.  (this has happened several times as she does like to run through the thick bush). Sometimes if we are by a creek, I will let her jump in to  have a drink or a swim. (I also bring water for her as we are usually gone at least one hour).  We also go to the cottage where she likes to dock dive and roll on the beach.

She also enjoys running and watching the chipmunks and squirrels chase each other all day long.  Gemma also enjoys the cottage in the spring because this is when the ducklings are out and they swim to the dock coming to get the bread we are throwing out for them. Gemma is very gentle and enjoys just sitting there watching them and listening to their quacking.

In the winter she enjoys hiking but as I am usually on my snowshoes and she is jumping thru the deep snow keeping up with me, we don’t usually go as far in the winter as it is more strenuous on her joints. We like to find wildlife tracks in the snow and follow them to see where they go.  We have come across deer, fox, owls, opossum and skunks.  I just have to say to” Gemma leave it” and she will not leave my side to chase anything, which is important to the wildlife and herself.

I always make sure Gemma is fully protected from any parasites or diseases by doing a  yearly examination, vaccines and also doing bloodwork will reveal if there is anything that needs to be addressed regarding her health.  

I feel it is my responsibility to do everything possible to keep her healthy and enjoying her life with our family. It was our decision to have a pet, so therefore a quality of life should be provided by us.

By giving her a good nutritional diet, maintaining her activity level and loving here like a member of our family she brings a lot more to our lives then she takes.