Bebe a few years ago I tore the tendon in my knee and could hardly walk at all. My dog was used to 3+ miles a day walking and had to mange until my knee healed, it took three months.

stop beating yourself up , George is still a lot better off with you and no walk for a while that many dogs who are rarely walked at all.
Think of the lovely walks you will have after the operation...

If a mobility scooter won't work . . . and you live in a village . . . maybe someone has an ATV you could borrow. Or for that matter, a ride-on lawn mower whose deck is shot but still drives. I don't know what sort of second hand market you have in your area . . . here it's Craigslist, in Australia it was Gumtree . . . but check the farm and garden section . . . or even put an ad in yourself saying WANTED.

Hi sandgrubber, I dont know what an ATV is to be honest lol, but there are a lot of sit-on lawn mowers around here.. And some of the farmers have quadbikes, I may ask around, but not sure if Id need a licence? Or even if Id be safe on one...i have visions of too much throttle and poor George flying through the air behind me on a flexi lead We also have gumtree here.

As someone who's been there, done it and still got the crutches to prove it, realistically I feel you're just going to have to resign yourself to the fact that George is going to have to go without walks for a few weeks. The most important thing is that you follow the restrictions the surgeon places on you to ensure a speedy and safe recovery and you don't take any unnecessary risks which could result being back in hospital with complications.

I'm not sure what the procedure is in your hospital ... I was in Truro .. but a couple of weeks before I had my op I had a meeting with the physiotherapist who gave me booklets on how to walk on crutches,get in/out of bed, get dressed/undressed etc and exercises to be done several times a day. She also arranged for various gadgets/aids to be delivered to my home and gave advice about the correct heights for my bed and chairs.

Something you might not appreciate is that EVERYTHING is going to take you much longer to do than normal. Even the simple process of getting out of bed, washed and dressed is a chore when you can't bend below waist height to pull your briefs on! Hopefully it won't happen to you but my leg and foot were swollen for several weeks after which made wearing shoes uncomfortable. I can't say I felt ill but but I did feel incredibly tired all the time. Pottering around the house and in the garden I found it much easier to use a zimmer frame rather than crutches because a zimmer frame is much more stable especially on uneven ground. Mine didn't have a basket or caddy on the front which would have been useful for carrying a mug of coffee or my dinner plate from the kitchen to my chair in the lounge. Zimmer frames are not expensive and you can get ones that fold up and go in the car.

Pleas don't feel guilty about George, if the truth be known he'll probably cope better than you do! Each time I came out of hospital, my two young dogs who normally sleep on my bed, decided to sleep on the carpet next to it instead. Dogs can be wonderfully understanding!

I can't think of anything else and apologise in advance if I come over as a Job's Comforter!

Y'know I thought of a Zimmer frame, I think it may give you more stability than crutches. But I would recommend that you get the advice of your physio. What about my suggestion earlier in this thread, is there anyone who could take you and George out in their car to the park?

Sorry I've missed this thread Bebe!

Just want to reassure you: no, you are NOT being cruel to George. He's 14 years old, no spring chicken, and I'm sure he's a lot happier mucking around out in the garden with you nearby than with someone he doesn't know or doesn't care for. Dogs do adapt, and he knows you're not up to much right now; much more he cares about you and it would really put him out to be separated from you while you're not well.

Two of my own are desperately underwalked right now. I've had a hard winter (though after reading this thread I really can't complain) and the eldest won't be doing much in the way of walking anymore. He loves his garden putters, and Taji and Bibi have adapted to garden games-- they're both older, too, and much though as soon as it gets warm enough we'll be out like a shot they have not had a bad time of it. You'll be OK.

I hope you do find some mobility stuff that suits you! Sounds like a scooter would be ideal but my goodness are those things expensive, even secondhand. I'm wishing you good luck!

Hi Bebe is George used to wheelchairs etc, some dogs don't like walking next to wheels and take a while to get used to them . Chloe wouldn't walk by my granddaughters push chair.
It would be awful to get a vehicle then he refused to go near it.