Well....not "me" exactly, but our family. We had lost our dog...the last of two longtime companions, almost a year before and just didn't have the heart to try to "replace" either one of them. So....my in-laws decided it was time our little ones had a dog and they bought us a puppy.....an Australian Shepherd puppy.
Now....we weren't usually in the habit of "buying" puppies. In my business you just "saved" them. And....more than likely, there was some medical problem to go along with it. But...here we had our first "whole" dog, with all of the potential. And we proudly named her "Shabby doll".........
Those of you who know me, know that I "dabble" in running. "Dabble"...as in hobby. I'm not very fast and won't win any races. BUT..I have solved half the worlds problems, (and most of my own) while on long runs and I was really looking forward to taking Shabby on a run.
Unfortunately, according to the experts; you aren't supposed to go on a sustained run with
any dog until they are fully grown, and to be safe, that could be around two years. So....we decided as a family that we were going to help Shabbs to get all of the exercise and stimulation that she needed in other ways. We took her to the local sheep herding farm and put her in a pen with some sheep.....no interest. We took her to the local dog park to play with the other dogs....better. We taught her how to catch a frisbee....EVEN BETTER.
Finally, time went by and we celebrated Shabby's second birthday. She was now, sufficiently developed and trained and able to start running. Unfortunately, this event coincided almost exactly with my very first back injury. Unable to run, and only barely able to walk comfortably, that dog walked patiently alongside my limping, uneven gait for months. There were times during my rehab when I didn't even trust myself to have her on a leash. Shabbs would simply watch me leave and wait patiently at the front window for me to return. Always with that Shabby greeting......a little stub of her former tail wagging and a warm welcome.
The point of the story? On this coming Saturday, we will celebrate Shabby Dolls third birthday....and finally.....last weekend, I got the opportunity to run with my dog. What a great feeling. We'd finally worked our way into doing the one thing we BOTH liked to do.......ToGETHER......and it felt great. Four miles of that little stub wagging in front of me. And only the quickest of looks over her shoulder, up at me, every once in a while....just to make sure that her human was still on the end of her leash. You could see the joy in her body at being able to go with me. You could feel her energy coming off of her leash. And I'm here to tell you, that there aren't very many Saturday morning runs that I would rank above that laborious four miles.
We learned to work together, my dog and I. Shabby learned to read my pace, and not to pull against the leash. I learned that its not the end of the world to stop for a moment and let the dog sniff a bush. It's just part of the run.
I think there are a lot of adventures ahead for my running dog and I. My body may be getting older and not as tolerant of the punishment that running hands out....but I still have plenty left in me...and now I have a companion. Unfortunately, my companion now knows which leash is the running leash..and now I'm afraid to take it out of the drawer; unless I'm serious that is.......maybe tomorrow eh girl? (I just thank God she can't read!.....yet)
