Sunday, May 25, 2008

And they said it couldn't be done!

I've had this idea in my head for quite some time now. My dog, Sirius, as you may know from previous blogs, is quite energetic. I walk him every day, as does my husband, but since the dog's legs are almost as long as mine are, it's not a terrible lot of exercise for him. And I've tried running many, many times, but running is just not one of my talents. I have no natural stride, and my running speed is about the same as my walking.

My idea was to get a bicycle, and teach my dog to run along side it with me. That way, I could attain a speed that would actually tire him out and still get my own exercise. But everyone I talked to who knows my dog said it couldn't be done. My husband actually laughed at me. "It'll never happen," he said. "No way will you get that dog to run alongside the bike. In front of it, and then probably under it, but never alongside."

For the record, (and Martin knows this, but hasn't quite learned his lesson yet, apparently) you should never, ever tell me that something can't be done. I take it as a dare.

So, on my way home from my parents' house today, I stopped at a yard sale and got this dinky, piece of crap bike with no rear brakes and a nearly bald seat for ten bucks. Then I took Sirius down to the big parking lot behind the firehouse...and the games began.

First, Sirius decided that the point of this game, as he understood it, was to grab the leash in his mouth and run at Mach Chicken across the parking lot, pulling his screaming/laughing mother and bicycle along behind him. Great exercise for the dog (especially since I'd say we were traveling about twenty miles an hour, and I wasn't pedaling!), but not exactly safe. Gave it a few more tries (and nearly ran the dog over in the process), though, and my big, beautiful dog was trotting along nice as you please right next to my knee. Fortified with pride and confidence, we turned out of the parking lot and onto the street. We rode through kids, past dogs, people, mourning doves and squirrels, and he didn't pull me off the bike once.

I'm so proud of my baby!

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