My Aussie Is Pokey

by Randy
(Goffstown, NH)

I got my male Aussie when he was 14 months old, from a breeder of show dogs. Said his gait was off and he wouldn't win any ribbons. He had been living in kennels, never even been on a walk or wore a collar.

I started walking him and I'm a hiker, started him slow, but eventually we climbed mountains. He has climbed over 250 mountains, some quite difficult. But, in spite of our 5 to 7 mile daily walks and our hikes every week, he remained pokey, many times lagging behind me.

Oddly enough, on the summits, I would look him in the eye and say "let's go home," and he would fly down the mountain for miles to get down.

Now at 7, he's really slowing down. Our last 9 mile rugged hike took him 3 days to recover. He has been checked, full blood panel, nothing to report. Vet says he's healthy as can be.

Is he just pokey and getting more pokey with age?

Thank you. He's an amazing dog.

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