Four-Pawed Running Partners

I Just Did It---Big Time

I owe my first bout of tolerable running to a foster dog named Grace. She was a runner all right. Only problem was, if she ever got loose, she’d keep on running, and running, and running.

Sherry here, she’s a dog-park dog, the fastest, most playful one on the field. So we’ve been getting our exercise separately—her with her dog friends, me with my dance buddies. But the scorching heat of this miserable summer has cut our dog park days in half. So one night last week I gave running another try and took her along to see if she likes it.

Yes! Yes, she does!

This. Girl. Can. RUN. And not just for miles, but with all of the elegance of a gazelle on Broadway. Not too fast, not too slow, not zigzagging all over the place or getting under my feet, which is remarkable because she was once so terrified of traffic she’d do anything (including yank herself out of her collar) to get away from it. This time, she was setting the pace like an old pro, like we’ve been running partners for years.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Sherry’s been knocking it out of the park in every way possible these past few months: calm as a seeing eye dog at the office; flawless off-leash on our Sunday morning hikes; good as gold when she’s home alone–crateless and roaming free. Quite an accomplishment for the recovering couch eater. (Did I mention she doesn’t even bark?)

We had such a great run, I’m adding it back to the dance-weights-spinning cycle for good. It’s great to have one activity that doesn’t require driving. I even splurged on some new sneaks. With Sherry’s ears and my new shoes, we’ll be settin’ records in no time.