Gail - Our Christmas Miracle

Here we are next to Santa Anita racetrack. It is a beautiful, bright sunny afternoon. Sorry to disappoint you, but we are not going to the horse races. We just returned from the first day of Nose Scent Work trials and we are staying in Arcadia. We are actually at the local Motel 6, to spend the night and get ready for tomorrow’s Scent Work trials. Both Gail and Sally are scheduled to compete.

Sally waiting for her turn at Scent Work

This will be Gail’s first competition since she tore her ACL at the end of October, 2023. Gail had surgery to repair the joint the following week. Dr. Walsh was her veterinary surgeon and he did a fantastic job. Her recovery is ahead of schedule. Right now, the hardest part of her recovery is trying to keep her from over exerting herself. She wants to play ball, she wants to go running around and she desperately wants to play with Sally. If everything goes as planned, we should be able to take her swimming around valentine’s day. Swimming is her favorite activity and Valentine’s Day can’t come fast enough.

I call her our ‘Christmas Miracle’. It was this past Christmas that we were able to observe how well Gail’s recovery was progressing. Her walking looks normal and she is able to go for a decent walk at least two times a day. This weekend will be the first time she has been able to compete in a Scent Work trial since she tore her ACL.

Update - Sally did very well today, but Gail's heart wasn't into it. Gail has been missing her sister, Annie, who had begun her journey to Rainbow Bridge earlier this week. We all miss Annie.