How Mora takes care of her adopted "person"

At 6:30 AM the soft whines begin from Mora's crate. It's time to get me up and moving! By 7:30 she and I are out on one of our favorite trails for a hike, usually an hour or a bit more in the AM. She knows, I guess, that I'm not a teenager and should exercise those legs. She also seems to know that I need to practice stooping or squatting and exercising my arm muscles...thus she hops about until I start throwing sticks for her to chase. This can go on for a long time...throw, run, chase, bring the stick back...over and over. It's amazing that we actually get lots of walking done, despite the fetching.

Back to the house and breakfast for the "human"! Mora, of course, has already had her breakfast before we leave the house.

Now time to stretch out in front of the wood stove (for her, not for me!). She gives me enough time to get some tasks done before she's ready for some quick ball throwing in the house. If she's lucky, I'll take out some of her "high value treats" (love that term from my favorite trainer Michelle Larson) and do some training exercises. Being a lab mix, she'll do almost any task for a small bite of cheese or a slice of hotdog. She humors me by sitting, staying, rolling over (I know, that's a dumb trick, but she does it so well), walking by my side, and, the hardest task of all..."leave it!" until she gets the OK from me to "take it"

Time for some serious sleeping on her part so she can take care of me for the rest of the day! She seems to know that it's not good for me to sit at the computer for hours on end. So, after an hour of my "working," she begins to demand that I get up and play with her for a bit. How does she know that sitting for long periods is not healthy? Such a smart dog!

Uh-oh...it's around 3 PM and she's restless again. Time for another 1 to 2 hour hike for Mora and me. Honestly, I've never felt so fit since she came into my life five months ago.

Possibly the best part of Mora's "care" for me is how she makes me laugh and smile over and over again. What is funnier than watching her jump into a snow pile, way higher than her legs, just to fetch a Frisbee, hearing her go to town on a squeaker toy, or watching her throw her stuffed raccoon around as if it were a real conquest? Just looking at those expressive eyes always triggers a smile from me, as does the warm slight pressure on my foot when she decides to use my foot as a pillow.

"Down time" comes after her afternoon feast of kibble. By now she and I are pretty set for exercise and it's time to just relax. She does that well, too! The days are never dull with Mora around. Thank goodness she knows what's best for me (and hopefully, I know the same for her).

Dutifully she crawls into her crate, on her own volition, between 8:30 and 9:00 each night. She needs the sleep so that she can "train me" starting at 6:30 the next morning!