Sarah Did you know that puppies are insane? It’s true. It’s been fifteen years since I had adopted a puppy, so I had forgotten this fact. After fifteen peaceful years of wet doggy breath kisses and fur-filled cuddles, my wonderful, sweet, perfect companion Sophie crossed the rainbow bridge in October 2021 and I needed to fill the canine-shaped void in my life. I began searching on petfinder.com right away for my next best friend. This time, my life looked a little different–I now had two kids who needed a sturdier dog than my nine pound, short-snouted, prissy Sophie had been. Our family needed a puppy that was a little bit bigger and more athletic, ready and willing to go on hikes or wrestle with the kids. After a few weeks of searching, we hit the jackpot. A stray puppy was picked up by animal control in Cartersville, GA who had all the right qualities: big brown eyes, floppy ears, soft fur, a long curly tail, and long legs for those family hikes. We snapped her up right away and named her Rosie (after Eddie Rosario–we’ve got some die-hard Braves fans in our midst).
Rosie was so sweet and shy when we brought her home, and so willing to please us. It was love at first lick, and we counted ourselves lucky that we had found the perfect fit for our family. But then, as the days and weeks went on, Rosie got comfortable. Kids’ undies on the floor? Destroy them. Daddy’s favorite blanket? Chew holes in it. Dog walking by outside? Bark until hoarse. Moana doll left on the coffee table? Eat her. Mom stopped throwing the ball after fifty throws? Go chew up the rug. Ran out of ways to get in trouble? Why not go to the bathroom multiple places in the house, that will be fun for everyone. It quickly became clear that Rosie was easily bored and had boundless energy, and it fell to me to do something about it.
Rosie hadn’t grown as much as we thought she would, staying pretty small around the sixteen pound mark, but she has the legs of a racehorse and seemed to be able to run circles around dogs four times her size at the dog park. The vet told me she could likely tolerate as much exercise as I could give her, as long as I eased her into it, and encouraged me to rack up the miles. “Don’t start her out with a ten mile hike…work her up to it!” the vet cheerily said. Yikes. My Sophie was more of a sit-on-a-cushion type, so I needed a plan and some new equipment to accommodate the new lifestyle the dog (and I) would lead.
The plan, it turns out, was simple–take that pup outside. She goes on runs with me, and long walks, and hikes. She is so excited when I start loading the car that she tries to push me out of the way and jump in before I’m ready for her. The equipment, on the other hand, has been a journey. Here is what I’ve purchased so far that has worked for me in my quest to exercise the dog until she is too tired to wreak havoc upon my house:
- A dog harness for the car. Rosie is such a sweet, cuddly girl, that if you leave her loose in the car she will end up trying to sit on your lap and drive. Very distracting. She needed a harness, for seatbelt safety of course, but also to keep her attached to one spot. The kinds that loop around her neck were no good–she would attempt to hang herself trying to get free. The kinds that allow her a strap were no good either–it is really amazing how far that strap can stretch when the dog is determined to obstruct the driver’s view. I ended up settling on the Matilor dog harness, which is not specifically made for use in the car, but works wonderfully because I can velcro the harness onto her and then clip it to the seatbelt. She has the freedom to sit up, lay down, or even stretch to sniff the kids in the backseat, but she is prevented from getting into my lap.
- A hands-free leash. Rosie is not a bad puller, unlike my previous dog who would pull until she choked herself and hacked up a lung. Don’t get me wrong, Rosie likes to run ahead and threaten squirrels, birds, deer, bikers, or anything else that moves with her vicious sixteen pound dog bark, but she responds well to the “leave it” command and doesn’t need a no-pull harness or collar. What she does seem to need, however, is a bit more freedom than a single arm can provide so that she can circle me while we walk, checking out our surroundings in 360 degrees. What has become a lifesaver for my sanity is Mighty Paw hands free waist leash, clipped to her harness (which she’s already wearing because of our car ride). She can circle me to her heart’s content, and if I need to control her I can grab the handle and keep her heeled to me for a bit.
- Poop bag holder and bags. With great power comes great responsibility. Now that I had the right leash to take my dog out into the world, it became my duty (get it?) to pick up after her. I am not one of those owners who convinces themselves it’s ok to leave my dog’s poop anywhere, because ‘it’s not technically on the trail’ or ‘hey, we are outside, wild animals poop out here anyway’. I have accidentally stepped in too many messes and I will not do that to someone else. And while we’re on the topic, honestly it is one of my pet peeves to see a filled dog bag by the side of the trail. Like, you picked it up, but you can’t carry it away? Yes it is super annoying to have to hold onto the bag until the next time you see a trash can. Deal with it. Annnyway, I settled on the Amazon Basics system of bags and dispenser because it was cheap. So far, the dispenser clip has not broken and everything is serving its purpose. Not a glamorous purchase but it works.
- Portable water bowl. My Rosie is small but thirsty. After the first time we went for a run together, I realized I had made a big mistake when I didn’t have a bowl in the car for her. As I guzzled from my water bottle, I turned to her and was met with sad puppy eyes filled with longing for a drink. “Ok ok I’m sorry” I said as I tried to pour some water into my hand and have her lap it up (it didn’t work). Amazon to the rescue–I purchased the SLSON collapsable water bowls and we haven’t looked back.
- A dog coat. This one is controversial, because my husband is 100 percent against a dog wearing clothes of any kind. He will tolerate a Halloween costume for the laugh factor, but real clothes? Please. On the other end of the spectrum is my mother, who has a whole wardrobe for her dog, because you never know when the dog will need a tuxedo. I fall somewhere in the middle. Doggy clothes are hilarious and cute, but I wouldn’t subject my dog to them unless (1) they are too funny to resist or (2) they are really functional. Where I live, we don’t get many ultra cold days, but there are a few chilly ones, and when it is 20 degrees outside but your dog needs a run or she will lose her mind, you need a coat. The Kurgo Loft Jacket dog coat works well and has a zipper opening on the back to accommodate her harness.
With all of this equipment, Rosie and I are ready to hit the trails and get our exercise! The links above are for all of the equipment I currently use, and I want to point out that I am not being paid anything to post them or have any affiliation with these products or companies. This is just the stuff that works for us, and I hope maybe it will work for you too, if you also have an insane puppy at home who needs to run 10 miles a day. And for a glimpse of a typical morning for Rosie and I, check out my YouTube video of our walk through a park local to us. I hope to be able to keep exploring with my best furry friend and share more with you soon!
xoxo
S
