Hazel Walton

Waggy Trails

My Activity Tracking

65
mi

My target 60 mi

The final post!!!

I've actually lost count of the day number, but for us today was our final day and we finished in style. 

We actually hit 61 miles yesterday, but today she took us on a 4 1/4 mile wander through the woods and surrounding housing estate. 

She also gave us the best laugh of the month as she found ........a CAT. Just behind a fence so she was determined to get to it. But it just sat there and stared at her. The lack of response just got her even more wound up. 

Photo of cat below....It's very difficult to explain anything to a dog when you're killing yourself laughing and I'm still not sure she realised it was metal. Took her 2 years to suss out a concrete kitten.....

Final total miles = 65

A huge, huge thank you to everyone who's sponsored us and I'll post the final total here.

Days 23 and 24 - Ducks are DAFT

Well day 23 didn't really happen - Ella went on her short Sunday walk that keeps her clear of other dogs. So 11/2 miles added. 

Today was much better. She was feeling good so we did 4 miles, getting back to the car just as the sun was going down. 

And we got proof of just how daft the local duck population is when they decided to chase us when we rustled a bag...... a poo bag about to be used......Daft. 

3 days to go, total to date = 59 miles. Almost there! 

Days 21 and 22 - Almost there!

We're getting there! Two more days down and we've added 7 miles - 3 yesterday and 4 today. 

Although I think we should get credited with more because oh did it rain - last gasp of Bert I assume - so Ella ended up a lot heavier between the water and the mud in her coat. Lots of mud. The photo doesn't do justice to it, the term caked would be more appropriate. But she was keen, so we kept going. 

We've got 5 more days to walk 6 miles, so we should do it comfortably. 

Total miles = 54

Days 19 and 20 - Confused dog...

Day 19 didn't really happen for me, but Ella added 1 1/2 miles to the tally. 
Today was day 20 and we did just over 2 miles. Ella hasn't paid any attention to the deer statues on the roundabout until today. She took a slight detour to stare at the buck. Can't think why!
Her new meds are fantastic. The vet did say Ella might think she was a puppy again and she even decided to jump a fence today. A low 2ft fence admittedly, but she's been going underneath on the previous meds.

Day 18 - only a Malamute....

Day 18 and the first real frost of the year. Ella wasn't impressed with the crunchy grass - she stood at the edge of the lawn prodding it before she decided she really needed to walk on it. 

Her day got worse as she was at the vet at lunchtime getting her arthritis meds changed to a monthly jab. But we did get a short walk of just 1 1/2 miles.

She's feeling the effects of the day this evening, but I really did like her approach to her water bowl. Only a Malamute 🙄🤣

Total miles = 43.5

Day 17 catch up

Got a bit behind with the updates on WaggyTrails.
The most important thing for me is that Ella had pardoned me for my crimes against Malamutes. She’s even not blaming me for the very little bit of snow we got. She really hates snow. So much for big, tough Northern breed...
We've done another 6 1/2 miles in the last 3 days, all local. Although Sunday included one of her favourite paths that had returned into a swamp. That was the day I'd forgotten to put a towel in the car.....

Total miles = 42

Day 14 and halfway there!

Ella's been very annoyed with me for the last 2 days cos, shock horror, I've prioritised someone else. Think her emoji was probably 🤬. Sorry baby dog, it's what happens when someone in the family has problems with college work.

Thick fog on Thursday didn't help, so we've only done 5 1/2miles in 3 days. She's now trying the sympathy vote. First pic is her really determined to psych me out of food. 

The second pic is another milestone.... It's taken to day 14 for her to get her bandana grubby but she's now managed it. Although I've no idea how. At least it's nothing nasty 😁

Day 11 - Clag and more clag

Day 11 and Ella was really up for it today. She decided on the route and, despite our frequent question ” where are we going now?” got us back to where we'd parked. 4 miles and only one "Are we nearly there yet?” from hubby.

Lancashire was doing clag again and Ella seems to like it. The claggier the better ( that's probably a word?), so she was really pleased when the cloud came right down. 

There's a path off the main A49 we've wondered about and we found the other end today just up from this bridge.

Total miles to date =30, so we're half way there.

Day 10 - finally a short walk

I was really busy today so Ella walked with my husband. So her tally went up by 1 and a half miles and mine didn't go up at all. 

Total so far 25 1/2 miles.

Days 8 and 9 - Remembrance

Days 8 and 9 tonight, so apologies for a long post. Didn't post yesterday -  I'm missing my dad. He would have been 100 this year if the second lockdown hadn't got to him. 

He was RAF and was posted to India in 1942 at 18. He never talked about it much, but he never lost the guilt of not seeing combat or the emptiness of being away from his family for those years. Whenever he was down, his phrase was always "Lost and far from home".

Husband is with RAF Air Cadets so was busy with parades and services yesterday, so we had a girl's walk in the afternoon. Supposedly a short walk, but someone had other ideas. She was the only one enjoying the clag, and oh was it claggy. Quite appropriate really. She kept scenting things but we never saw anything. By the time we got back to the car, well covered in mud, it was verging on downright foggy. But her fur was lovely and soft this morning - once she'd dried out overnight..

And so today we're decided she'd only do a short walk. That didn't work either. One walk around Preston docks in the sunshine, with so many trees and lampposts to get the lead tangled round that she had a whale of a time. And then a second walk after dark tonight as I had to go out and she decided she was coming too. 

So 6 miles between the 2 days. Think she's found her stamina again!

Day 7 - 5 miles today!!!!

Can't believe it's Day 7 already! Ella did amazing today, bless her. She's done so well this week and it was just the 2 of us walking today, so I took us on a walk we haven't done for over a year. It's almost 4 miles with a short, stiff climb on the way back. And she aced it 😁 
First pic is her in the car AFTER the walk and looking ready to go again. Second pic is her treat for being a star - she does like an occasional Puppychino.
I went into Leyland to pick up some Poppy collection tins and we had time to kill before handing them to the organiser so we went for a second walk. 
She's done 5 mile's today! Going to start her back on longer walks assuming she's not completely done in tomorrow...
I think that makes our current total 19 miles!!

Day 6 - Sniffari

Day 6 and another enthusiastic 3 and a little bit miles. Although I think her bandana did more..
Cos we did some errands in the morning, we managed to go out to walk without her walking collar. So the lead was on her ID collar, not her martingale collar. And the ID collar has the bandana on it. 
That poor bandana went from side to side and up to down. Luckily she's big enough to keep it off the ground when it went to bib position! 
Once again she was off fast - think she was frustrated at sitting in the car this morning, which is not acceptable as far as she's concerned. But then the sniffari started. And oh did she do some sniffing. And every sniff meant that poor bandana changed position. 
She got particularly excited in the bits of woodland. 
She actually was tired tonight - the third photo is her kipping in the hall in traditional Alaskan Flat Tyre position. 
Total mileage to date = 14
And huge thanks to everyone who's donated ♥️

Day 5 and back to normal... For a Malamute

Day 5 and she's back to her usual self. Full of it might be a better description. By the time we finally went out this afternoon I was getting deaf. This look is " Really??? Finally????". Just before she exploded off the sofa. 
Went off like a rocket from the car too and only slowed down at the 2 mile mark. For an old girl she can still move when she wants to. Didn't even need to lie down on the back seat when we got back to the car 3 and a bit miles later. 
Must admit, I'm very relieved!

Day 4 - Not a good one

Day 4 hasn't been one of Ella's better days. Like so many animals on any number of legs, she doesn't really like bonfire night. And we had friends round yesterday. She was used by a back street breeder as a puppy factory and we think she still associates new people with people coming to see her puppies and take them away.

So we weren't off to a brilliant start. Then her bandana arrived. And she was really not happy with it on her collar to start with, although being a Mal, that was one problem a treat solved....

We were back to our normal walks today. We usually walk around Buckshaw Village, which was built on an old Royal Ordnance Factory. Ella was happily showing off her bandana, nicely on her back as we walked up the old factory road. She knows the area backwards and she decides where we're going.

We did a mile or so as her bandana gradually slipped sideways to its final position and she was quite happy. But then we started to meet kids and parents leaving the local primary school. A few people are fine. But just 20+ were too many. She needed to leave so took us straight back to the car up a road she would normally avoid. Back home, she was still worried even at dinner. 

Memory is such a powerful thing. 6 years after coming to us, she can still trigger and react. How much worse for those who have to come to terms with what they've seen in war? Please help us help them.

Why Waggy Trails?

So Ella and I have decided to raise money to help our forces veterans who have scars that don't show. We're going to walk 60 miles this month. May not seem much, but it's a challenge for an old girl like her.

Why? Well my grandad was an Army farrier in the First World War. That meant that he was the one who had to kill the injured horses. After the war he was never the same and was in and out of mental hospitals. I never knew him. But I know the scars he left on my mum. 

And then there's Ella. She came to us when she was 7. An Alaskan Malamute so badly abused the vet would only let her walk 1/2 a mile a day. She's 14 now and she hasn't screamed in her sleep for several years. But she's still scared of anyone who smells of alcohol, or tobacco, or cannabis. And of small rooms. 

She's a dog and I doubt she has human imagination. Our forces see things that we're just not designed to cope with. And the mind is a complicated place that can wreck havoc on itself in normal life. 

Please support us if you can! 

Waggy Trails Day 2

Well we did have a plan. But then today we went to RAF Leeming instead to pick up cadet uniform instead. Rather than go onto the base, Ella and I paid a visit to the gate guardian and wandered along the approach road. Very slowly. Sniffing everything. At least twice. I suppose it was an improvement that the road is lined with young trees rather than lampposts. But I just hope no-one has to do anything to the  plastic covers at the bottom of some of the trees.......... She felt the need to add her mark to them.....
And then to Bedale for lunch and a leisurely drive home. With a dog enjoying the view all the time the speed was below about 50. 
Distance walked all day - 1 1/2 miles. Distance sniffed - dread to think. 
Ella - absolutely knackered. 
Think I'll abandon any plans in the future..

I'm taking part in the Combat Stress Waggy Trails Challenge!

This year I'll be taking on Waggy Trails to raise vital funds for life-changing mental health treatment for veterans.

Combat Stress is the UK's leading charity for veterans' mental health. For over a century, they've helped former servicemen and women deal with issues like trauma, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Today, they provide support to veterans from every service and every conflict.

I’m taking vital steps towards ensuring veterans can get the support they need.

Thank you so much for your support.

My Achievements

Added profile picture

Shared fundraising page

Received first donation

Distance goal reached

Fundraising goal reached

£250 in donations

£500 in donations

£750 in donations

£1,000 in donations

Thank you to my Sponsors

£65

Facebook Donation

£35.70

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£25.56

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£23

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£20

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£12.72

Sue

Well done Ella x

£10.60

Susanna Worsley

£10.34

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£10.34

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£10

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£10

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£5

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