Product Review – The Buddy System
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I’ve never been a big fan of hands free leashes/waist running belts for running with Guinness. To be honest, the idea scared me – he’s strong and fast and I had visions of myself flying through the air after him, or having the world’s worst rope burn around my middle.
One of our forum readers (thanks Crankygoat!) mentioned in a thread that he used the Buddy System. I had a look and noticed they had a bungee attachment, aptly named the Lunge Buster, and I wondered if that would make any difference.
The only way to find out was to try one!
January Running Buddy of the Month – Kandoo
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Sarah and Kandoo live in Pennsylvania, USA and this gorgeous Border Collie is proof that you don’t need to be able to see or hear to be a great running buddy.
“Blind and deaf? What quality of life will he have? He’d be better off dead.” That was the response I got many times over when I told people about the new puppy I was getting. Later it was “Oh, the poor thing…” when they were introduced. Now that he’s grown, people ask what his name is and what do I do with a handicap dog. And that’s when I get to smile and say : “This is Kandoo, and he can do everything.”
He can go up and down stairs, navigate the back yard, swim at the lake and come when the porch light blinks. He sleeps in bed, goes to dog events, has even hiked on the Appalachian Trail. He’s 65lbs of bouncing border collie love, has never met a stranger and everything is his favorite, except for running. Running is his very favorite.
Pooch to 5k Meets Parkrun
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Parkruns are free timed 5k runs which are conducted by volunteers, and are held in many countries around the world. There are three parkruns in Australia, with a fourth on the cards for next year.
We’ve been trying to get along to a parkrun for a few weeks now, but work commitments and weather haven’t made it possible. Yesterday was the day!
The run was in New Farm Park, Brisbane, and the route followed the boardwalk along the riverbank. It was flat, and lots of people were out walking or cycling, enjoying the fine weather and the view. We were made to very welcome by the organisers; it’s always nice to see people relaxed about dogs joining in a fun run.
Foot Pad Injuries
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You can see the small injury to Sinner’s footpad on the photograph, I didn’t notice he had a problem until he started leaving little bloody footprints. It’s most likely that he stepped on a sharp rock or stick, or even a piece of glass.
What should you do if your dog has such an injury? In Sinner’s case, there was no foreign body sticking out so I chose to play the waiting game. I cleaned it thoroughly with dilute iodine, and I didn’t bandage it. I think a bandage would have lasted two seconds!
Running Buddy of the Month – December 2011
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We’re a bit early for our December running buddy, but I was just so impressed with Charlie the West Highland White Terrier, I had to post his story. Charlie lives in Yorkshire, England and has a personal best for the half marathon (21.1km) of 1 hour 44 minutes. His owner, Adam Abel, wrote this post.
Charlie is about 2.5 years old. We re-homed him in summer 2010 when he was 1. How the previous owners could gave him up I have no idea, as he’s just the cutest and well behaved little bundle of energy. I think that’s probably where the problem lay though, as he has a LOT of energy, so needs a LOT of exercise to burn it off. Sure, he will sleep all day if you let him but after a couple of days he goes stir crazy sat around the house.
Post Surgical Care of your Running Dog
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Since Guinness has just been neutered, I thought I’d post a few thoughts on how to care for your running buddy after an elective operation such as neutering or a lump removal.
The hardest part is keeping your dog quiet to let them recover fully. They feel back to normal within a day or two of their operation, but they really shouldn’t run for a bit longer. The movement of the skin around the surgical site may make healing a little slower, and the increase in blood pressure may lead to a bit of bleeding.