Camp Cocker Rescue

Life with Lily

I hate exercising.

Its not that I’m lazy, its that I don’t see the point. Sure, its great for the body, blah, blah blah, but running in place on a treadmill, lifting heavy things over and over and over… I just don’t get it.

Enter Lily…

Our new little girl has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I like taking her on walks (Guess what, Josh… that’s exercising!). I love wrestling with her, chasing her all around the condo. And its good for us both.

But when my wife suggested hiking, I was skeptical. This sounded dangerously like exercise. Walking up and down dusty trails, getting passed by power walkers, mountain bikes, the occasional new mommy with baby in sling, weights on ankles, all the while curling 5 pound rocks… that’s not for me.

But for Lily…

“Let’s start out easy. We don’t know how far Lily can hike,” my wife, Karen, said. I of course thought this was a great plan, and certainly in the best interest of our new dog. I doubt I was able to hide my relief.

Fryman Canyon is challenging for someone who’s not athletic. I definitely wouldn’t call it easy. I have no words for the kind of all consuming fire that was ravaging my muscles and lungs after the first 100 yards of step incline.

But Lily pulled on.

And I pressed on, powered by pride in the little dog at the end of my leash. She was so shy and so timid, but on that dusty climb from hell, she was all heart, bounding, pulling excited to see what was around the next bend. While I could only hope it was our car, she was excited every single time, her little stump tail wagging so fast, I was afraid she’d re-injure her newly healed pelvis.

Lily loved hiking. Until she didn’t.

It was hot, I’ll give her that. She was the only reason I hadn’t sat down and sent up a flare, calling in the forest service to air lift me back to my couch. Her joy was enough, simple as it was, to keep me going. Untrained on a leash, Lily was constantly running in circles, sometimes behind me, sometimes ahead, and I didn’t care. She was like a child exploring and it warmed my heart. But suddenly, I felt a tug behind me. I turned around, to see Lily, spread-eagle in the dirt under the shade of a leaning Eucalyptus tree.

Fryman Canyon is about 2.5 miles, and after we’d reached the top, Lily decided she’d had enough, and we had to get back down.

17 pounds doesn’t seem like much, but again, I need to stress how little I work out, and we had half of the hike in front of us. But it was all down hill.

Sometimes I wonder if she did it on purpose. Maybe she wanted me to carry her. All I know is, my dog on her back, cradled in my arms looking up at me with her big sad eyes & it was the best mile I've ever hiked. She was new to me, and I was new to her, but at that moment, we created a bond. My dog knew I'd never leave her behind, and I knew that dog loved me.

Josh Gloer is a writer living in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and their Camp Cocker alumni, Lily. If you would like to comment on Life with Lily, please feel free to email Josh at: joshgloer@gmail.com