This weekend, for example, she had A TIME on Saturday. We jogged two miles to the dog park, she ran around there like a maniac with a Golden Retriever/St. Bernard mix, we jogged a mile back east to Heritage Bikes, one of our favorite coffee shops, she sat outside and met lots of other dogs and kids and ate a bunch of ice, we walked the additional mile home, and then we went to a party for three hours on Lesley and Paul's roof deck where she got all kinds of treats and pets.
It was an awesome time for Molly, and she loved every minute of it. But it just...threw her off. Her stomach was upset and she was so tired her eyes were red.
Sometimes it's okay to have crazy days. But I'm learning that there's kind of an ideal balance we need to strike with her. The best days, for Molly, involve a jog with both of us first thing, her normal food, a long morning nap, some energetic activity (dog park, dog beach, long walk, trip to Petco) in the afternoon, and a chill evening that involves more of her usual food, a nighttime walk, and an early bedtime. If she has a busy day one day, it's best to let her sleep as much as she wants the next. Kevin's especially good about reminding me of this. We don't need to take her to doggy day care on Mondays, for example, because her weekends are usually so packed. And we run her every other day, at most, and only hit the dog beach once or twice a week.
Here's a picture of a totally wiped out Molly after a trip to the Montrose Dog Beach. She couldn't even get out of the car:
Not only has this been a key idea for me to remember when taking care of her - it's also taught me about how to best take care of myself and this baby, who will eventually be a walking, talking human child who will also probably want to run and play and swim and maybe even chase tennis balls all day. In the summer, especially, there are so many opportunities to have fun - so many things to do and places to go. Thinking about my day as a balance - time for work, exercise, friends, movies in the park and ice cream trips and patio pizza dinners but also for rest and routine and healthy food - helps things feel more sane. And makes the fun times even more fun.