Journalled on Saturday, 16 September 2023 | Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro: 21 degrees, warm, sunny and slightly cloudy.
Saturday is usually a day for a heavy workout, and this morning was no exception. However, my routine has changed slightly on the weekends.
I start my day by heading to the bakery. I go alone, without my training gear, and enjoy a coffee or two while writing in my journal. Sometimes I buy bread, butter, cheese, and ham to take home.
Afterwards, I head straight home, grab my rucksack with my gear, and take Perola. If it’s a nice day, we go to the park, and I let her roam freely while I exercise.
If the weather isn’t great, such as after a night of rain, we take a long walk around Flamengo, usually splitting it in half, with one half in front of the Bay and the other inside the neighbourhood.
We both love it, and it’s made a significant difference for her because of her allergies and weight problems.
It seems the sun has helped to control her skin allergy a little. Her skin is better; she isn’t scratching herself as much, and the areas where she was losing fur in the past have now grown back. Her fur has come back, more beautiful, thicker, and shinier than before.
When I started living with Nalva and Yasmin, Perola was severely overweight and taking a lot of corticosteroid medication due to her skin allergies. Dogs with white fur and pale skin are prone to skin allergies, some more than others. This is a major problem for Perola.
We took her to the vet, and the vet stopped the corticoid treatment. If not, it was obvious that Perola would have died. For me, it’s very complicated because no decent person wants to see an animal suffer, especially their own, and especially when it’s a dog.
I have started taking Perola on longer walks beyond just around the block or a couple of streets.
We are going further afield. One weekend, I decided to take her to the park. Everyone else takes their dogs there, so why not hers, too? The park is very close, only about a kilometre away. As soon as we arrived, I let her off the lead and carried on walking.
She stays either by my side or behind me all the time. Occasionally, we pass other people and their dogs, but she always stays near me. Sometimes she likes to compliment the owners of other dogs, but not the dogs themselves. It’s very funny.
Usually, dogs like to compliment other dogs, but not Perola. No, she prefers to compliment the owners. She doesn’t really care much about the dogs. What a character!
The park here is beautiful from every angle. One part is dense with trees, like a mini forest, while the other is open. I have a specific place where I work out. There’s a lamppost in the grounds where I can attach my TRX straps to exercise. I could use a tree branch, but this pole with a bench in front of it is perfect for TRX exercises.
The first part of my exercise routine is to alternate between skipping and aerobic exercises before using the straps. Perola likes to stay very near me. When skipping, I tell her to go and explore like normal dogs. Now, she is getting more courage to go further.
Yasmin and Nalva think Perola was abandoned as a puppy. She doesn’t like seeing anybody leave and must always be near us.
I think we all, in some ways, have abandonment issues!
Perola is a medium-sized black-and-white mongrel with black patches on her face and over one eye. She has a Mohican-style cut on the top of her head, and her tail is a stubby curl, likely indicating it was cut off at birth.
We also suspect she was mistreated before coming to us.
I’m impressed by how many people openly recognise her as a cute dog when we walk down the street. She attracts a lot of attention from almost everyone.
When I had Bruce and Petra, they were both excellent boxers; Bruce had a lovely nature and a strong presence. Petra was more petite and very cute, but lacked Bruce’s charisma and patience with others. Bruce was a reference point for the family and me, although Petra was still very special.
However, nothing compares to Perola’s popularity on the street, especially among women and children. Her inner beauty shines through, making everyone notice her. She really does have a lovely nature and a sweet temperament, making her excellent company for me during the week while I’m giving classes.
Perola is a great little dog; the long walks have helped her lose a couple of kilos. It’s good to see that she’s getting back into shape.
My only real doubt is whether we look after our dogs or whether they really look after us?
The rest of Saturday was spent working on the websites, relaxing a little, and thinking about England. I haven’t had a glass of wine for almost a month.
In bed by midnight.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
