Friday, May 04, 2007
I would walk 1000 miles

I am a high energy dog. I will probably always be a high energy dog. When I was a pup I had more energy then I knew how to handle and I would frequently explode with energy. These explosions would result in my running around the house at top speed; then out to the back yard for even more running back and forth; then in again before dropping to the ground for a short nap. My human called these little outbursts "Puppy Bursts". Kinda cute eh?

I admit I had little to no control over myself during these bursts. I simply had to run and my human had better get out of my way, which she did. *Gang way, coming through – no breaks!!*

As I matured I've mellowed out a tad but I still do suffer from the occasional burst of energy. My human says she doubts I'll ever really "grow up". Is being a puppy forever such a bad thing? I don't think so.

My human was quick to realize that I needed an outlet for all this energy and the best way to do that was with a few long walks. Every day my human hops in her scooter, turns the power up to full and we dart off through the residential streets and sidewalks. At first these walks were just around the block. When I'd start to lag behind she's stop and let me rest in the shade a bit before heading back home.

Over time the 2-3 walks a day became one or two very long walks a day. We don't just go around the little block anymore. No. We run (more like a brisk jog to me) for one and half to three miles without stopping to sniff or potty and I love it. We run across pavement, grass, rocks, dirt and just about any other surface you can come across. Whatever makes the trip more interesting for me. Occasionally I'll even get to run through a little water to cool my paws off if someone is washing a car or has the yard sprinklers running.

Apparently all this running on various surfaces also keeps the pads on my feet thick and rough which in turn protects my feet from the hot pavement in the summer months.

Not only have a lost some of the excess flab I collected during the cold winter months but I have excellent muscle tone. You can actually see my rippling muscles now. I'm in the best shape of my life and my extra energy has an outlet.

So if any of you other dogs out there are getting a little saggy in the tummy or wide in the rump, go grab your leash, track down your human and get out there. Apparently the exercise is good for humans too.

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