Bella vs the Wobbler

So I'm pregnant again.

There, I've said it. 16 weeks finished out of 40. While I should be living a normal life wondering about things like if I'm showing or not, I have instead spent the last few weeks wallowing in self pity over not being able to go out and walk, run or bike as I'm used to. I went on a 10-15 minute walk yesterday and I was punished for it.

I have got a condition called Symphisis Pubis Dysfunction, or SPD, where the ligaments in my hips get too lose and causes my hip bones to be moving too much. It causes pain. If I do too much I can start limping. Last pregnancy I was using crutches in the last two months and this time around I've already been adviced to use them at home. Ugh! I have got a maternity support belt to try to hold my hips together, I do physiotherapy twice a week and have already had to reduce my work to 50%. All this combined seems to be helping, I've stopped wallowing and am now out of the constant pain zone and am starting to enjoy life again.

This of course is not very fortunate for Bella, well except the fact I'm staying at home more. I am trying to find out how to entertain her and activate her here at home, for example by teaching her to clean up like I posted on two posts ago.

I also bought two Kong toys, a Kong Extreme and a Kong Wobbler.

The Wobbler is a food dispenser for those not familiar with it and it makes Bella jump around like a stag when I pick it up. She loves it.

 

Noms!

The only problem is that she is SO GOOD at it! It takes her maximum five minutes to empty it. I was hoping for a little more engagement! I did try sealing a part of the hole and it took her about two more minutes that way. I need to seal an even bigger part of the hole. 

Oh, and those that noticed on the second picture how long Bella's claws are, this is a work in progress. One tiny snip at a time. I drew blood last month and I'm trying to get to a point where we don't have to do this fighting one another.

Summer Memories

I have been lazy with the camera since this spring. I wish the reason was better than it is but I got a new laptop in Berlin and it took me all this time to get a program to process my photos. This evening I finally sorted it out.

The summer was good. We went exploring Iceland,

we stayed at two summer cabins,

and we also did some camping, which Bella hated.

The laziness with the camera is a part of why I have been lazy posting. It doesn't feel right posting text alone.

With winter looming, there's quite a few interesting things me and Bella are looking forward to in the coming months.

I'm trying to stay involved in the Responsible Dog Owner's Association and there are a few kickass people in there with a lot of drive towards improving life for dogs in Iceland and the rights of the owners.

Me and Bella and a lot of other people are eagerly awaiting for three (or four) dog parks to rise in my city that the city has promised to build this year. Those will be the first enclosed areas to rise in several years, there are currently none. This is in part thanks to people in the aforementioned association who submitted ideas to build them in a citizen election on things to do to improve the city. I had my idea to build a dog park in my neighborhood submitted for the voting but unfortunately it did not receive enough votes for the idea to be materialized. However when those dog parks get built I plan to visit them with Bella. This is a big step as there are currently very few areas where dog owners can turn their dogs loose within the city.

I am also considering whether to take some doggy classes this winter, one I have been waiting for for over a year is being scheduled in January so I shall see. I might also do a repeat of a Clicker/Obedience based class in November if I don't find anything else.

I have at this point decided not to continue with agility. Both due to health reasons but mainly because the atmosphere gets Bella way too overstimulated and I just don't enjoy it that way. I love the sport and haven't given up on it for good, I just don't believe that putting Bella into this environment once a week will cure her. I do have a dream about getting funds to build an outdoor course/arena that's open to the public. I just know it'd be very vulnerable to vandalism and would require some sturdy equipment but I'm going to look into it when I have more time and energy sometime.