It has been just over one year since Frank (Frankie, Francis, Franklin) came abruptly into our lives. One year since Frankie broke his back. One year since Frankie had surgery with our Neurology team to stabilize his spine and give him a real chance at a normal life. What a difference a year makes! If you follow me on instagram then you KNOW that Frankie is currently a running, flying, tank of a dog who spends most of his time outdoors zooming around our yard, chasing his brother and doing kicks and leaps. Interrupted only by aggressive cuddles on the couch.

If his recovery is not a testament to modern medicine, then I don’t know what is.

(If you are interested in how we acquired him and his surrender story you can read all about it HERE.)

It is only recently that we’ve started testing the boundaries of Frankie’s “normalness”. Mostly because we have been busy rather than any perceived abnormalities on his part. In the last two months Frankie has gone on his first hike and his first (and second) run! And he has seriously loved the shit out of both of those experiences.

Frankie’s first REaL hike (aside from one walk at a local trail) was at Grayson Highlands for Roya’s birthday. We purchased Frankie and Wallace new ruffwear harnesses (red for Frankie, blue for Wallace) to start getting them out and about more and this was the perfect time to try them out. I foolishly decided to take BOTH Frankie and Wallace on this outing (sans Matt) because the thought of leaving Wallace alone in a kennel while we had an adventurous outing just broke my heart. That being said, I spent most of the time at the very limit of my patience. I mean HOW MANY TIMES CAN TWO DOGS GET TANGLED IN THEIR LEASHES REALLY?

The answer is a lot. A lot of times.

But the weather was perfect and they needed the exercise. So while they pulled me precariously down the trail, at least the sun was shining through the trees and a cool breeze was blowing. Frankie was so excited that he couldn’t catch his breath and I had to force him to rest and breathe numerous times along the trails. ‘Just take a beat dude!’. While I had hoped to start giving him some lessons on what it means to be a “trail dog”, he was much too above his threshold to learn much of anything. So I settled for a tiring outing. At least he had fun and I was able to thoroughly tire him about for about 12 hours. I learned some very important things after that first outing. First, do not try to take Frankie and Wallace out together while I am alone - duh. They are much too much dog to handle! Second, Frankie needs one-on-one learning and training time to really learn the most (double duh! That really is a no brainer). What this has translated to is me spending some time solo with Frankie (following some energy sapping physical activity!) working on focus and appropriate leash manners. Matt also spends time at meal time and in the yard teaching him new tricks. Frankie really is the smartest boy. Am I biased? Perhaps!

Frankie’s first run happened around the streets in our neighborhood. Matt strapped himself to Wallace and I strapped myself to Frankie and we took them both for a mile and a half around the neighborhood. Frankie spent the large majority of his run jumping into his harness at the end of his leash, attempting to run at a full sprint for the full mile and a half. He did do a great job at stopping when asked and focusing on me while stopped, but the rest of his run was inefficient and so crazy! His second run was just this week. I had been feeling motivated to get out and run for the first time in a very long time and I decided to take Frankie out solo. (The other dogs HATE it when one of them gets to go do something and the others don't. SO JELLY!). Even though it was only his second run ever, Frankie picked up on the ‘how to’s’ quite quickly. He spent most of this run at a comfortable trot and breathing comfortably. I was half expecting him to break into a lope like a true sled dog! He rarely jumped into his harness, spent most of his time at the limits of his leash and I noticed him glancing back at me for instructions more often than he was getting distracted by smells and quick movements. We ran at dusk as the whole neighborhood sky was lighting up. The setting sun flashed orange and pink across the sky. The full moon had already risen high in the sky and was shining as brightly as the sun, perfectly framed by the fall foliage along the hill tops in our neighborhood. The air was crisp and cool, casting just the slightest nip across my nose. If you looked closely you could just see Frankie’s breath swirl around his nose before it dissipated into the air. It was a wonderful experience to share with him and a good opportunity to practice being present in the moment. I’ve found time with the dogs to be a great lesson in mindfulness and try to use my time with them as a conduit for practicing it.

We have started with a short distances for our runs and hikes as we both build up our endurance. As a veterinarian, I don’t usually recommend high mileage for any dog under the age of 2. “High mileage” can be subjective, obviously, but as you know may already know sled dogs are my bench mark! (See my previous post on Sled Dogs HERE). But of course every dog is an individual! Frankie is in a really good place and at the perfect age to start building up his mileage and endurance. So far we have noticed no neurologic deficits in Frankie, even with this increase in strenuous activity. He never seems sore or painful and we’ve noticed no changes to his gait. The ONLY caveat to this is his stupid tail. Unbeknownst to EVERYONE, his tail is a bit messed up and is permanently in the shape of a reverse comma. But he can feel it and wag it (he actually does this really adorable wiggle of it when he is really happy) and it has never bothered him. Just a small mark to remind us of his rough beginnings.

It truly has been remarkable to watch him go from a broken, painful puppy, to an active thriving adult. It is one of the best experiences of my veterinary career and I’m lucky to be able to witness this every day, and every day he steals my heart a little bit more. I’m not sure how we have gotten so lucky to be his forever family. While it may have been a bit of a calculated risk to commit to him and his recovery, it is a decision I have never once regretted.

We love you Frankie!

A ‘pupdate’ if you will.

POWERED BY SQUARESPACE