Since Griffin's rehab appointment on Friday, I've noticed that he is moving more fluidly and seems to have more pep in his step, especially on our morning walks of about 1.4 miles done all under his own power.  His new wagon arrived yesterday and we took it for a spin on our late afternoon walk, which allowed us to get home more quickly when we were caught in a downpour, although we both still needed to spend some time with a hair dryer once back home!  We used the wagon again this evening, when the photos and videos below were taken.  I popped Griffin into the wagon, pushed him to the park, lifted him out to run around, and then popped him back in for the ride home when he got tired.  The inside dimensions of his wagon are a standard medium dog bed size (30" x 20"), so I purchased a 3" foam bed with an indoor/outdoor washable cover which gives him a very comfortable ride.  Griffin seems to enjoy his new chariot a lot, and I love being able to push the wagon and keep him in front of me instead of pulling him behind me.  Bonus elements include brakes, all terrain wheels, a collapsible basket, and a canopy (which will be great on sunny days and kept some of the rain off Griffin yesterday)!  The new red wagon is going to get a lot of use this summer!

Napping with his Eagle buddy after a long morning walk.

Griffin enjoying his luxurious new limo!

We saw this duo paddle-boarding on the Hudson River tonight!

Hi Sally!  I typically take videos on our morning walks when the park is fairly empty, especially during the week.  However, on nice days during the evenings, and especially on the weekends, the park has been much busier.  Most folks are doing a decent job of physically distancing and most are wearing masks, but there are definitely some people who are not taking warnings seriously.  There is an adult fitness area of the park with equipment for exercising that the police have shut down multiple times only to have men (who almost never wear masks) take down the "caution" tape as soon as the police leave the park.  It's a hard balancing act in NYC where we literally live on top of each other and the population density makes physically distancing more of a challenge than in suburban/rural areas, but for the most part, my fellow New Yorkers are doing their best to follow the rules and keep all of us safe.

Hi Jerry - Griffin did one session of acupuncture the week after he started chemo, but his oncologist wants him to have blood tests before each session to ensure his platelet count is fine, and that is just too much money (office visit + blood test = $250 + $140 for acupuncture).  [Right now you are saying, "Oh right, I remember that!"  I think it is one of the reasons why you wanted to invite Dr. Camps to speak for the podcast. ]  We might go back to it after he finishes up his chemo treatments.  But in the meantime, I am very happy with the work that the physical therapist did - it is so clear how much looser Griffin is when moving.  He has also started trying to lift his leg again to pee, which he had stopped attempting due to balancing issues. I don't think my insurance company will cover the rehab appointments because they are not done by a vet, but follow up appointments will be $160/hour, which on a monthly basis is pretty manageable.

Hi Patricia - I would be SO thrilled to meet you and Arktik in person if you were able to come for a visit to NYC.  I know travel is pretty out of the question right now, but it's kind of fun to dream about the possibilities in the future!  Griffin has always been pretty chill, but honestly, he would not tolerate the wagon if he was feeling 100%.  I used the old wagon a few times prior to his surgery when he was limping pretty badly, but I'm not sure I would have gotten away with it a year ago.  And nowadays, I used it only when I know he is already tired.