Do you ever wonder what it really means when your vet says that your ten pound dog needs to lose a pound and a half? It can be really hard to generalize our experiences with weight to deal meaningfully with the weight issues of our pets. In order to help people gain a clearer concept of what being over- or underweight means for a dog, petobesityprevention.com created a weight calculator. Simply plug in your height, along with your dog's current and target weight, and it will translate the weight to your body size. Continuing with our example of a 10 pound dog, whose target weight is 8.5 pounds, a 5-foot-6-inch tall person would have to weigh 182 pounds (compared to a healthy 154) to have the same relative extra weight. It can help to give you some really clear insight into just what your vet means when they give you that dreaded weight advice. It's harder to take criticism about our pets than about ourselves! I know that my Gordon is a little soft around the edges, and could do without a few of the pounds he's packing, but it's harder to deny them than ourselves.
The Iditarod began today (at least the ceremonial start did)-- it never ceases to be a controversial part of dog culture, but nobody can deny the energy, enthusiasm, and raw power that is so evident in the sled dog teams. Here's wishing them all good luck for this race! If races are your thing, keep up to date with this one on the Iditarod official website. Get live streaming coverage and updates from the trail! Another interesting note about this year's race is the different countries that are represented in this race-- there are of course US mushers and Canadians, as well as representatives from Norway, Russia, and even such faraway places as New Zealand, Brazil, and Jamaica.
We'll see you back on monday!
-Hope
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