down 3 pounds and $1 a month



Ellie at Christmas - her chubby season.

Ellie went to the vet this morning. Dr. Franks reported that Ellie is down three pounds over her last visit. This is good news: usually I get a good-natured lecture about letting her get a little too chubby. "Winter fat," I call it. Dr. Franks says dog owners never think their dog is overweight.

Better yet, by weighing exactly 50 pounds, Ellie saved me $1.00 a month for heartworm medication. Thanks, girl!

My kids are the real gauge of Ellie's weight and physique. Typically not seeing her for several months at a time, they greet her at the door and of course she greets them with mad exuberance. "Whoa, she's gotten fat!" they say without hesitation. Or, "Ellie looks pretty good, has she lost weight?" I take these comments very personally, since I'm the one who walks (or doesn't walk) Ellie ... it's almost as if they are commenting on MY weight.

Ellie gets downright svelte when we're at the cabin in Michigan. She tears around the property, romps with Coco the chocolate lab next door, and wanders along the shore and up and down our hill all day. Last summer she dug an enormous hole, sniffing out chipmunks, I suppose. She collapses by late afternoon.

Maybe I should take her to the vet at the end of the summer!