Gabe 's Summer Body

Gabe, searching for a mouse or another kind of critter

As the weather turns warmer and the calendar inexorably turns to the Summer months, you see all kinds of social media posts about people working on their “Summer Bodies”. The internet is filled with the best way to achieve the desired look. I’m not here to comment whether working to get a Summer Body is a good thing, except to say that you should feel comfortable with the way you look no matter what anyone says. I want to let you know about Gabe’s Summer Body.

Gabe’s Summer Body is a nice way of saying the best boy in the world has gained a few pounds. After he was neutered last year, the vet said a little weight gain was expected. Gabe does everything full throttle, so his weight jumped from 68 pounds to 93 pounds in a year.

Gabe showing of his summer body

Because of his weight gain, our vet said Gabe needs to go on a diet. That’s easier said than done. That’s because Gabe will eat anything he finds, even things he’s not supposed to. We have reduced his food, but Gabe is a hunting dog. If he gets hungry, those Chesapeake Bay Retriever instincts kick in. He will put his nose to the ground and sniff out a mole, mouse, squirrel or rabbit. Nature offers an all-you can eat buffet if Gabe is fast enough and he usually makes the most of his opportunities.

The second piece of advice the vet offered is for Gabe to get more exercise. I don’t know if  that is possible since he has 52 acres at his leisure. The vet suggest more walks. Well, Gabe can go on self-guided tours anytime he wants. The problem is, he doesn’t want to very much. Unlike my other Chessie Molly, who would wander far and wide, Gabe is a homebody. He does not travel much unless Mom or I are right next to him. Gabe prefers to stay around the house for easily accessible hugs, ear washings and to shake howdy when anyone of us comes outside. He is never more than a whistle away.

The third suggestion was to cut out dog treats. That’s not going to happen. That suggestion is akin to asking my cattle-farming father to stop eating beef. Gabe loves Arin’s Good Girl Dog treats too much to give them up. Besides, they are made from all-natural ingredients to keep the calorie count low.

The rule of thumb is to have as few ingredients as possible and Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats believes that less is more. No Sodium Hexametaphosphate or Propylene Glycol which is commonly found in other treats. Just whole wheat flour, pumpkin, oats, peanut butter and cinnamon. It’s a comfort to know that Gabe can be healthy and still enjoy Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats.

So just how is Gabe going to lose that excess weight? My plan is to get a Chessie puppy to use his boundless energy to spur Gabe into a more active lifestyle. He loved romping with the lamb we had for the Easter Drama and it would stand to reason that Gabe would enjoy a puppy of his own breed even more. That idea was not met with much enthusiasm by the rest of the family, however, saying it would be like the old lady who swallowed a fly also swallowing a lizard to catch the fly. In other words, getting a puppy would create more problems than it would solve. If I did get a new puppy, though, the first order of business would be to get some of Arin’s Training Bits.

I will keep searching for ways to help Gabe lose weight and shed his Summer Body. If not, I will still love him no matter how much he weighs and he will still be the best boy in the world.