u/Piper_hikes

It’s been a while since I’ve posted! 🐾❤️

We had a busy summer, including a month-long visit from one of my closest friends from Australia. Piper was absolutely in her glory having another person around to give her love and attention.

We spent lots of time trekking around, exploring,
and playing tourist in our own city again, which was so much fun. It definitely kept me hopping and a little quiet on the socials!

But we’re back, and here’s a little throwback to Baby Kevin Sunday. 🥰 Hope everyone had a wonderful summer. We’ve missed seeing what all our Cavalier friends have been up to! 🐶❤️

Piper is powering up and getting ready for her big performance tonight! 🐾🎓
Tonight is her agility recital, and I’m so excited to see her show off everything she has learned. She jumps, goes through tunnels, runs through chutes, climbs walls, hops onto blocks, waits, weaves through poles and tackles all kinds of obstacles. Pretty impressive for a little blind dog who relies on listening, trust and enthusiasm.
We have one jump that she occasionally ding-dongs out on 😂, and the teeter-totter is still a bit of a wild card. She’s been doing it really well in practice and rehearsal, but tonight we add music, people and plenty of distractions. We’ll see what Piper thinks of that!
Whatever happens, it’s going to be fun. Stay tuned. There will definitely be video! ❤️🐶

Piper had a great time with her local Cavalier meetup group today!

We’ve been going once a month for quite a while, but play groups can be a little overwhelming for her. Indoor groups especially don’t work well. With the echo and dogs moving around her, it’s just too much when she can’t see what’s coming.

The outdoor summer meetups have been a completely different story. Today she actually mixed and mingled instead of spending the whole time glued to me or trying to climb me, which was great.

We had a small end-of-summer group today with a Blenheim, a Ruby and a tri-colour. Piper seems really comfortable with this bunch since they are all about the same size, nobody is too hyper, and they have that pretty typical Cavalier vibe.

Looking forward to the fall when the group gets back to its usual numbers and we have a whole pile of Cavy craziness again!

Watching her play has always filled me with such joy. Enjoy every minute with your sweet sidekicks. It goes by so quickly. 💕🐶

Little Miss Piper is all ready for company that is arriving tomorrow from Australia. A girl has got to look her best. 💕🐶

Piper, my amazing little workmate. ❤️ She greets everyone at the door and makes sure there are plenty of loves and snuggles to go around.

Yesterday at our north office, she decided the bench by the door was the perfect place for a little nap. She looked so adorable I had to snap a quick picture.

A girl needs her rest, especially when she has agility class later that night! 🐾❤️

We’re celebrating Baby Kevin Sunday with a little throwback to Baby Piper. ❤️🐶

Another look back at these memories and remember where we started, everything we’ve been through, and just how far this little girl has come.

So grateful for every step of the journey and every memory along the way.

Happy Baby Kevin Sunday, everybody! 🐾💕🐶

Piper and Gracie enjoyed a short holiday at beautiful Hecla Island, and it was fun for them and us.

This was Piper’s third stay at the resort, but her first time there with Gracie, so we treated it as a test run before a bigger girls and dogs getaway in the next couple of months. We learned some things, including that Gracie is definitely not ready to be left alone in a hotel room 😂. Thankfully Hecla is pet friendly and there are options for keeping the dogs with us.

Sunset Beach was a huge hit, especially the enormous dog swimming area, and Piper had the best time running along the shoreline. We hiked, walked by the lake, explored the beaches and really enjoyed how peaceful the island is. Even with summer camping in full swing, it is not heavily populated.

Hecla Island is a real gem. There’s the tiny historic village, great camping, marshlands, incredible birdlife and wildlife everywhere, from pelicans and eagles to deer, foxes and plenty of others you may or may not want to meet on the trail!

It’s quiet, incredibly clean, surrounded by nature and just a really lovely place to get away for a couple of days. Piper loved every minute, and I think our test run was a success. Next up, the bigger girls’ getaway! ❤️🐶

Another night of insomnia, lying here looking at my cute dog and thinking about how sometimes things seem to turn out the way they’re supposed to. Can be tough though.

Sunday was one of those really good days. The heat wave has finally broken, and we’re back to normal summer temperatures where you don’t have to get up at 5 a.m. just to walk your dog without melting.

We started the day meeting Piper’s friend Gracie and her mom and heading out for a long trek through the forest. Beautiful trails, dense forest, marshlands and two happy dogs wandering along together. Of course we followed that up with the obligatory Starbucks routine and a good natter.

We went our separate ways for a few hours and met up again that evening to walk down to The Forks. It’s one of my favourite places in Winnipeg. Two rivers meeting, so much history, and just a fabulous place to hang out.

We indulged in some outstanding fish and chips, had a drink and sat with the dogs watching the world go by. Piper loves it there. She’s perfectly happy sitting on a bench next to me and listening to everything happening around her while people stop to talk to the dogs and tell them how cute they are. It’s a rough life being Piper and Gracie. The evening ended with a leisurely walk home.

By the end of the day we were over 23,000 steps, and that didn’t even include our morning walk. Piper was tired, and so was I.

This is why I love August. Cooler mornings, cooler evenings and those stretches of the day where you can actually get outside and enjoy summer again.
No matter what the weather does, I always make sure Piper gets out and gets her exercise. But there’s something especially nice about being able to make an entire day of it and, make everything about her.

Although, most days are pretty much about Piper anyway. ❤️🐶🥾🐾

From the moment I met Piper, I knew she was mine and I was hers. Every time she melted into my arms and fell asleep, I was filled with this overwhelming love and desire to give her the life she deserved. Her trust, sweetness and loyal companionship strengthen those feelings more each day.

Celebrating Baby Piper Sunday and everyday. 💕🐶

With the temperatures finally settling back into a more normal summer, it was so nice to get outside again. Last night, Piper and I met up with Gracie and her mom for a long walk from their place along the river, through some beautiful neighborhoods, and into Assiniboine Park. We stopped at Cargo Bar, where we joined another table with a dog, enjoyed a drink, and let the pups hang out before walking home through the parks in the cool evening. We finished with just over 8 km (5 miles).

This morning we walked back over the foot bridge to Assiniboine Park, wandering through the English Gardens and Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. I managed to get a few photos of Piper before my phone battery gave up.

We ended up trekking for about three hours, and Piper is pretty tired. She spent the rest of the day alternating between little bursts of play and lots of snuggles. Resting up for more weekend fun.

Tomorrow it’s our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel meetup, followed by a street festival, so the adventures continue.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. We’re lucky to have a long weekend here, so we’ve still got Monday to look forward to. 💕🐶🐾

The heat has been relentless here, with temperatures over 35°C and humidex values in the 40s. That’s well over 100°F, so we’ve been finding creative ways to stay indoors.

Piper’s favorite office activity is her blue silicone treat ball. She has one at home too, and it keeps her busy, gives her some great enrichment, and lets her burn off a little energy. She charges all over the office hunting the treats she leaves behind, and that happy wagging tail makes my day.

Keeping her mentally engaged, when she can’t be outside as much, is as important as physical exercise, especially with the temperatures we have been enduring. Stay cool, everyone! 🩷🐶🎾🦴

Raising a blind dog from such a young age has had a big learning curve.

Piper was somewhere between 10 and 11 months old when she had her first eye surgery. She’s a rescue, so I don’t know her exact birthday, but she was still very much a puppy. She went from being this little holy terror, running full, to spending four and a half months in a cone where she had to stay incredibly still. To give her the best chance of saving her eyes, I had to use medication to keep her calm. In the end, nothing worked, and just after she turned a year old, both of her eyes were removed.

She handled it far better than I expected and she was still happy, affectionate, and ready to take on the world. But the one thing disappeared is that she stopped doing zoomies.

This concerned me as I worried about exercise for her, so we started over, by trial and error. I became her favourite toy, and little by little, she started playing again. Now, the two places where she used to love running as a puppy, the green space by my apartment and the grass beside my office, have become her zoomie spots again.

Every time she takes off, I keep one eye on the obstacles because she could get hurt if she hits one. But every time those zoomies get a little bigger, I get super emotional.

It’s tricky but she’s finally getting to experience the pure joy every dog deserves, with a little reckless abandon. I am working on capturing a full length video of it.

You go, Pipsqueak! I am so proud of you. 💕🐶🐾

Agility training with Piper has been such a highlight of our summer.

Between the heat and all the rain, we haven’t had many opportunities to practice outside, so we’ve been incredibly grateful for our indoor, air conditioned class every Tuesday. It’s been the perfect place for Piper to build her confidence and sharpen her skills. Hopefully, as the temperatures cool over the next month, we’ll be able to practice more regularly outside with my own equipment. I don’t have as many obstacles as our trainer, but I’ve got enough to keep her busy.

This past week, I was so proud of her. Her course included a double jump, the teeter-totter, a single jump, the curved tunnel, another double jump, a very steep climbing wall, another single jump, and finally the weave poles. Piper nailed it.

What amazes me most is that Piper runs the entire course off leash. I give her a few tap cues so she knows where each obstacle is, and I remind her to be careful on the narrow teeter-totter, but otherwise, it’s all her. The climbing wall still blows my mind. It has tiny wooden slats for footing, and she confidently climbs right up and back down without hesitation.

The only mistake Piper made all class was knocking one jump bar down. Otherwise, she ran a perfect course on her first try. She’s also still the only dog in the class who never needs a redo, and of course, she’s the only blind dog.

Our original eight-week session was extended to 11 weeks, so we get to keep going until the end of August. I couldn’t be happier, and If this class continues into fall, we are in. I’m really hoping our trainer can find another indoor facility for the fall and winter because this has been one of the best things we’ve ever done together.

If you’ve ever thought about trying agility with your dog, I can’t recommend it enough. After class, Piper and I always heads straight to the dog park. She naps on the drive there, has a great visit with her friends, and is completely exhausted by the time we head home. It’s been amazing for her confidence, her fitness, and our teamwork.

I’m hoping to get some video soon. The videos from the sidelines haven’t really captured what she’s doing, so I ordered a chest mount for my phone. Hopefully I’ll be able to share her running the full course before the session ends.

For now, here’s a little clip of her happily panting after another great run and some of the track she ran last week. Super proud of my Pipsqueak. 🩷🐶

We have been a little quiet in social media lately, but Baby Kevin Sundays sent me down memory lane. Looking back through all of her puppy photos and the sweet memories when Piper wriggled in to my life.

Piper still loves a stick, although not quite with the same enthusiasm she did when I first brought her home. And she still manages to fall asleep in the sweetest, funniest positions.

So today we’re celebrating the stick, the naps, and all those little moments that make Piper who she is.
Happy Baby Kevin Sunday, everyone. 🩷🐶🪾💤

Surviving, not thriving. 🥵

It is 5 am and the humidex is 33 degrees celcius (91 farenheit). Wow!

We’re expecting 35 to 37°C today (98 farenheit) with a humidex around 45 celcus (111 farenheit) so every outing is planned around keeping Piper safe and cool.

Yesterday we started the day with an early Cavalier meetup and hung out with the sweetest little tricolour boy named Jasper. Seeing his cooling gear finally convinced me to try a few options for Piper, and I think we’ve settled on a cooling vest. It covers much more of her body than the harness. We settled on Canada Pooch brand and a GF Pets ice mat.

Piper also has hot pavement boots, but when the sidewalks are this hot I carry her to the grass. We are not walking much right now. The day will be all about indoor games, a little training, naps, and staying out of the heat.

Right now she’s curled up around my neck, fast asleep. The last photo is her snuggled up. ❤️🐶

Stay safe and cool everyone.

Celebrating another week with my perfect little Pipsqueak. On July 10th it will be 2 years since Piper wriggled into my heart, and changed my life in so many ways.

I miss those big beautiful brown eyes but I am so proud if how she has adapted. Still my adventurous, curious and playful little sidekick. Happy Sunday to everyone. 💕🐶

Yesterday was a big day for Piper. She started her day as normal, with a walk and a little neighbourhood socializing, and then we were off to the office.

The weather was off and on, and after a while she started getting a little bored. I loaded up her treat ball and she tore around the office with it which is always entertaining.

After work we raced home, she had dinner, and then off we went to agility.

When I first started agility with Piper last year, I had no idea what to expect. I knew she would do okay with tunnels and weave poles, but jumps were something I knew would be a challenge. I kept thinking, how am I going to teach a blind dog to jump.

Last year we had moderate success so this summer I signed her up for an eight week agility class, and I am so glad I did.

The first class focused on tunnels and weave poles. Piper was actually the only dog in the class that immediately understood the tunnel. She loves it. You say tunnel and she zips right through it. The weave poles were good too, but I had never really gotten her doing them properly off leash. Now she has that down pat, after a little work on what cue to use.

Second class introduced jumps, which was I was a bit insecure about. Another trainer suggested I stop using the word jump and use a word she didn’t
Know, so I started using hut. It made a huge difference almost immediately.

Last night was class three, and they added a ramp and a double jump. Lots of elements now so very exciting.

I looked at that double jump and thought there was no chance. The instructor said we didn’t have to try it, but we are always up for a challenge.

At the end of class each dog runs the full course after practicing each element. The only one we didn’t get a turn on was the double jump, but I thought so what. We would try. The order was tunnel, single jump, ramp, weave poles, double jump.

Piper absolutely blew me away.

She ran the whole thing like it was no big deal. Through the tunnel, over the jump, up the ramp, down the ramp, through the weave poles, then over both jumps. She did the whole course and I was so proud of her.

Everyone in the class was shocked, but honestly this dog keeps doing that. She keeps proving that she is capable of far more than people expect. We have five weeks left and I know she is only going to get better. Since I have agility equipment at home too, so we will keep practicing.

I really believe the sky is the limit for this little dog.
After class we went to The Forks and met up with her friend Gracie and Gracie’s mom. I grabbed a beer, Piper got lots of love from strangers and by the end of it she was completely exhausted. She was so tired I had to carry her into the building when we got home. She barely woke up until we got to the elevator and slept hard until 4:30 this morning.

And that is exactly what I want for her. I work hard to keep Piper socialized, engaged, and confident. I do everything I can to make sure blindness never becomes something that limits her. Sometimes people feel sorry for her, or assume she cannot do certain things but Piper keeps proving otherwise.
As far as I am concerned, if I treat life like everything is normal, she will believe me. And she does. 🩷🐶

It’s late Sunday night. 11:30 PM, and I really should be going to bed.

Instead, I’m lying on the sofa with Piper curled up beside me. She’s pressed into a cushion and somehow has managed to wedge herself right against my heart. Her little paw is resting just above it, her head tucked against my chest, and the rest of her curled tightly into me. She is the sweetest little creature.

June has been a hard month for me. It’s a month that carries grief and loss for a lot of reasons, and I’ve felt that more than usual this year. Mostly, I’ve just kept moving, working, and trying to make time for friends to keep life going.

Piper and I have had dedicated activities all month as well. Tuesday nights are dog training, where she’s working on agility and finally learning to jump on command, which I’m ridiculously proud of. We’ve spent evenings at the dog park, gone on lots of walks, and last night we made it to a friend’s barbecue.

That was a little chaotic for her due to one person having a bit too much to drink and got pretty loud, which stressed her out. And of course there was the tiny Chihuahua who somehow both loves her and wants to destroy her at the same time. Two pounds of pure chaos but super cute. Piper is not comfortable with him at all. Needless to say, she came home pretty exhausted.

No matter what is going on for us, she is my steady.
After everything we’ve been through together, I still find myself surprised by how deeply I feel about her. Maybe it’s this stage of life, or everything we’ve been through, I don’t know. What I do know is that this tiny little dog who came into my life almost two years ago has changed it in ways I never expected.
We’re coming up on our gotcha day on July 10, and I just feel really grateful tonight.🩷🐶🙏