Hi, Opal here! Not long ago we went on a hike to a place called Pallisades Park. And it looked to be a great day: sunny skies, beautiful nature and scenery, and just being outside in general. But it just goes to show how beauty can be a bitch sometimes.
The first warning signs came when we saw signs warning that the path ahead is not suitable for children or dogs. After the third sign my tail was on high alert.
I don't have pictures of this place. I don't even want to be reminded of that treacherous beauty. But we saw the signs, reasoned that we were already past the half way mark, and thought we may as well continue. One of us remarked "Oh I remember it's not that bad!" Boy were we wrong...
Rocks, giant rocks, on a treacherous hill! As the humans trudged slowly ahead, I froze in my tracks, shaking uncontrollably. The rocks already scratched me several times and I could not figure out how to proceed safely. Meanwhile there was another doggy that was moving along just fine. How? How? Must have magic paws.
For the rest of the trip, the fellow humans took turns carrying me over the rocks. We decided to keep moving forward, against my constant shivering objections. One of them even had a small fall and got a bit scratched up. The real hero was a lady who was carrying a toddler on a harness and a large backpack and toughing it out through the rocky path. And I should add here that the sun at this point had heated the rocks and the air, making it all the more uncomfortable.
By the end of the trip, I felt a bit of pain in my paws, as if they were peeling off from the rough rocks. Someone saw that there was a bit of bleeding as well. All I remember was a terrible fear, and I still remember seeing the end of the trail, when I scrambled furiously to the nice flat trail in delight.
By the time we got home, the wound had sealed, but it was painful to walk as I hobbled around the room and then planted myself sideways.
Tried to get a good look at the paw, this picture isn't so clear what happened.
Eek. Peeling! This is not safe for dogs.
I got the paws cleaned up and to prevent me from being tempted to lick them I got a makeshift cover for the paws. Yikes. Painful times.
But that lasted just two days. I quickly healed up and was back to bounding around like my usual self. Funny how quickly it gets forgotten. If I didn't sit down to write about it, it would be lost in my dog memory forever. Actually, how did I remember the details to write about it just now? Woof.
And beware the rocky trails of the Pallisades.