Getting Stronger!

I'm not talking about Austen (although he's been lifting weights on his days off from soccer), I'm talking about Sadie. She has been pretty much medication free for almost a whole year now. Her knees are completely healed from her stem cell therapy and we've been working on building the muscle in her back legs that she didn't use for almost two whole years. 

What that means is a lot of walks, some therapy (in our backyard with cones and poles), running hills, and a whole lot more. She's come a long way and she looks so happy now that she can actually walk (or run/waddle) in our yard. Her run is still hilarious as she'll likely never be able to run like a young dog again either because of her Wobbler's Disease or maybe just because she's huge (105 lbs)! 

A few times now she has gone up our front steps on her own. She can get up from a sit in the yard easily and most of the time she can get up from a lying down position when she's outside. When she's inside, she has a little less traction so getting up is a bit more difficult but we're working on that and hoping she gains the strength and confidence to be able to do that in just a few short months. 

Overall she's doing really well though. I wasn't sure if she'd make it past 5 years old but this is the best I've actually seen her look in years. Judge for yourself. Here she is checking out a squirrel on the telephone pole adjacent to our yard but then she gets distracted because she finds a stick and wants to play. 

Oh to be a young Berner again!