Hi and welcome to JogWithYourDogs.com. This is where we celebrate how your K-9 friends make your life better – and maybe even your health.
Goin’ to the dogs
I grew up with a wonderful Airdale named Minnie. She was great company. Very mellow but ready to play – or defend my siblings and I against neighborhood bullies. After college, I left home to pursue my career. Due to the long, long hours of a demanding career and single life in the city, I couldn’t, in good conscience, leave a dog waiting for me at home.
Then came marriage to Ann, our son Alex, and Maggie the Border Collie mix. Maggie was incredibly athletic. I could never keep up with her when she really ran. But she would indulge me and trot along side of me as I made an effort to stay in-shape. She was a smart, loving animal. I can’t tell you how much I miss her.
A splendid ShihZuation
My mother-in-law Emmy introduced us to the Shih Tzu breed. And I will be forever grateful to her for it. Lily and Rocky walk with me everyday – a couple of times. When the mood strikes, us we run a bit. Because Lily’s legs are about 6” long, and Rocky’s not much longer, I can usually keep a pace with them. Though if Lily is chasing a squirrel in the backyard, I doubt that even Usain Bolt (world record holder in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4 × 100 meters relay) could keep up with her. They are a smart, funny, stubborn breed and I enjoy their company enormously. People say they’re not smart (ranked 70th in intelligence) but as Ann tells me, they have genius potential.
What’s that smell?
So… maybe you’ve tried to jog with your dog. If so, you quickly find out that most dogs, not all, are easily distracted. They want to smell the odors of their competition. I guess it’s a genetic trait left over from their Wolf ancestors who instinctively defended their territory. Who knows? But your dog will probably stop every so many feet to sniff a tree or fire hydrant. What are you going to do? This is really their recreation time. Their time to get out of the house and experience the world. They surely deserve that. Would you ever want to be cooped up in just one house or yard your entire life? Go with the flow. Anyway, there’s a lot evidence that interval training (getting the heart rate up and then resting) is very good for you. Enjoy!
And that’s the point
If you’re on this site you’ve probably already enjoyed ‘jogging with your dog’. But we’re here to spread the word. Spread the joy that blooms in your heart when you look over at your furry jogging companion and see how graceful they are when they run. How their bodies were made for this. How their coat blows back with the wind and you could swear that they’re smiling. At least that’s how it feels to me.
JogWithYourDogs.com hopes to share our dog stories with you and we hope you will share your stories with us.
We also have some thoughts about equipment or safety devices that we will post from time-to-time.
Let’s DogJog!
Jay
Founder of JogWithYourDogs.com