My Fat Cairn Terrier

Back when I was training to run my half marathon, I made it a point to do a long run on the weekends.  That’s when my dog got his exercise, too.  Since I’ve cut down on my running, I haven’t been nearly as dedicated to the Saturday morning jaunts.  I recently came to the realization that I now have a fat cairn terrier.  My dog needs more exercise.

A Run With My Fat Cairn Terrier

For those of you who don’t know him, meet my dog, Jackson.  For the most part, he’s your typical cairn terrier.  By that, I mean he’s good-natured, feisty, and playful.  He takes the inevitable abuse of living in a household of boys with aplomb.  He’s also hard-headed, stubborn, and determined to have his way most of the time, being convinced he’s a dog three times his size.  He also weighs in now at 21 pounds.  For those of you unfamiliar with the breed, they normally weigh between 13-18 pounds.  So maybe he’s not fat, but he’s at least a little on the heavy side.

Saturday morning, I decided it was time to start correcting this problem.  He hasn’t exercised much beyond chasing a tennis ball in the backyard lately, but I figure he’s a dog so I’m sure he can outlast me.  So, I got out early and took him along to the park for a run.  As soon as I grabbed his leash, he knew he was going for a ride, and he went nuts!  He raced outside and ran three circles around my truck.  The whole way to the park, he bounced up and down in the seat beside me, and when we got to the park, he leaped across my lap and bounded to the ground.  And for a dog that stands about 12-inches tall, that’s a long way.  Talk about excitable.  We got out on the running path and he practically dragged me along for the first mile, crisscrossing the trail ahead of me.

Now, I should say that I wasn’t planning on pushing him real hard.  I’ve never known a dog that couldn’t go outlast a person on a running trail, but he also hasn’t gotten much exercise lately, so I thought a 3-mile run should be just about enough to tire him out.  It started to show about the 1-mile mark, too.  By the time we crossed that point, he was more content to stay at my side, just pacing me.  We made a pit-stop at the 2-mile mark for a quick drink of water.  This park has two-tiered water fountains.  One for we poor humans, and a lower spigot for man’s best friend.  I think he was feeling pretty grateful for that rest.

He wasn’t too keen on the idea, but I eventually dragged him through that last mile.  We had a role reversal during that, with me dragging him along.  It’s funny how that works.  He gratefully clambered up into the truck and laid down for the ride home.  No bouncing around.  He was a little more subdued the rest of the day.  Still playful, but definitely grateful for an excuse to curl up in the corner and take a break.

I’m thinking that I need to make this a more routine activity again.  He definitely needs the exercise, and being accountable for his fitness also makes me more likely to keep that Saturday morning running appointment.  And truth be told, its fun to run with a dog.  They’re so exuberant about simply being outside that you can’t help be infected by their enthusiasm.

Who else enjoys running with their dog?  Do you find the responsibility of getting them out for their exercise helps keep you faithful to your routine?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!