Exercise with a dog can be great but be careful [13-9-15]

Exercise with a dog can be great but be careful

Wanted: A perfect exercise partner. One who improves physical capabilities and mental outlook, lowers blood pressure and raises morale, has no qualms going out at any hour of any day, is always happy to be with you, and who will never call to cancel your workout. Plus (added bonus) licks your face when you're finished.

"They always want to go," says Leslie Blake, 57, of her dogs, Jake and Charley (Cha Cha). "It doesn't matter what time it is or what the weather is like, and that gets me out when normally I might skip my run."

Studies abound touting the benefits of dog walking.

People who walk their dogs are more likely to engage in additional forms of exercise, according to Michigan State University research.

A University of Western Australia study found that seven of 10 adult dog owners get 150 minutes of exercise weekly, compared with four out of 10 nonowners.

A study published in Preventative Medicine reported that dog-walking dog owners are 25 percent less likely to be obese than people who don't own dogs.

"I have many clients who come in and say, 'My dog and I are going on an exercise program together. We're going to walk every day,'" says veterinarian Lynda Van Antwerp, owner of Carrollton West Pet Hospital.

When Van Antwerp talks about the benefits of exercise -- healthy joints, active digestive systems, weight control -- the line's blurred as to whether she's talking about the pets or the owners. Both, usually.

"Diet and exercise is a huge portion of all our (pets') health problems like it is with people," she says.

When people call the pet hospital and are put on hold, they hear, not elevator music, but information about health benefits of owning a pet.

Alexandria Williams is co-founder with Whitney Patterson of Sporty Afros (sportyafros.com), an organization that encourages exercise, especially in black women. At community events, she touts the benefits of exercising with dogs.

"I say, 'You have a pet? Walk.'" says Williams, 28. "Fifteen, 30 minutes a day, four to five days a week. You could lose a pound every other week doing that without changing anything else. Plus, psychologically your pet enjoys it, and you're getting out of the house, letting your mind flow."

Blake walks her two yellow labs every day and runs with them three or four times a week. She was bitten by a dog when she was a little girl, she says, and has always had a fear of dogs. When she moved to Heartland, a residential community near Forney, Texas, she decided a dog would help her feel safe while running. Plus, she wanted the companionship.

"I actually talk to them when I'm running," she says. "It's very good company. I don't like running by myself."

The three tend to go the same speed, though sometimes her dogs are faster.

"They're much better runners than I am," she says. "They don't seem to get injured either."

They usually go about four miles, she says, less during the summer: "When it's too hot for me, it's too hot for them."

Angela Turnage and Michael Friedhoff adopted their dogs, Shasta and Nevada, from the SPCA within a few weeks of each other three summers ago. The couple first walked the dogs, teaching them not to pull ahead, then began running with them.

Turnage tends to run with Nevada, who weighs 45 pounds, and Friedhoff with 75-pound Shasta.

"Nevada and I run really well together," says Turnage, 51, a former DISD teacher who took a buyout last year. "She's skittish, though. She tends to sidle up to me when a big truck goes by. I have fallen down. She got underfoot and wasn't looking where she was going."

That's one reason Turnage doesn't take the dogs to group runs or to races, a courtesy that Lewis George, owner of Mellew Productions, appreciates. His company produces such events as the Hottest Half and doesn't allow dogs at any races.

When people ask why, he tells them, "You're involving a dog with a string attached to where people aren't looking. That's why I have liability insurance."

In addition to the danger issue for people, he also knows that many dogs aren't ready or cut out for a race. The second or third year of Dadfest, one of his 5Ks, a dog collapsed at the finish line.

"It was an overweight dog with a big thick coat," George says. "There were people ready to beat the woman who was running with him. People just don't take responsibility. I don't blame the dogs. I blame the people with the dogs.

"You want to exercise with your dog? Do it on your time, not on mine."

Ron Billmyre, 29, of Dallas runs with his Weimaraner. He says if a dog cannot hold a pace faster than yours, you shouldn't be running with it.

"Unfortunately, most people assume since it's a dog, it can run, when in fact most are not bred for distance."

Ready to go, girl? Heed this advice before grabbing the leash:

Get the medical nod. After you get the OK from your doctor about starting an exercise program, take your pet in for a vet checkup, says James Bias, president of the SPCA of Texas. "It's not rocket science," he says. "Like people, you need to build up. If you're going to participate in a 5K with your dog, build up your dog's capacity prior to the event."

Build up. Would you wake up one morning and decide to run five miles? Probably not. Nor should you submit your dog to that. "If people are making poor decisions about themselves," Bias says, "it stands to reason they're making poor decisions about their pets."

Limit races to those designated for dogs. The SPCA has several, including Strut Your Mutt on April 28 (spca.org).

Think outside the run-walk box. Alexandria Williams of Sporty Afros suggests playing fetch with your dog. "Throw the ball hard," she says. While waiting for Fido to retrieve it, do squats or lunges.