Posts tagged "running"

Many of us dream of working with animals, and still more of us dream about helping animals in need. One lucky couple found a way to do both through their Philadelphia-based pet-sitting business, The Monster Minders.

Getting Started
The Monster Minders began when Carrie Maria placed an ad as a dog walker online while looking at graduate schools five years ago. "It kind of blew up," Carrie tells us, "and two months later, I realized I could make a living walking dogs, and be really happy doing it. So, we [Carrie and her husband, Lindsay] just kind of ran with it, and we now have 18 staff, hundreds of happy clients in Philly, and basically spend all our days hanging out with dogs. It's great!"

The self-proclaimed "accidental entrepreneurs" were blown away to win Philadelphia magazine's Best of Philly, one of the city's most coveted awards, just seven months after starting the company. "We were just gobsmacked. Phone calls started pouring in from tons of people, so that's when we knew we could make a go of it," Carrie says.

And once they knew they could make it in the business, they started looking for ways to give back.

Each week, Ben Westhoff shares the ups and downs of owning Pippi, the dalmatian mix he and his wife, Anna, adopted as a puppy in late 2009.

Pippi fancies herself an athletic dog. When we take her to the dog park or the home of our friends Dev and Lawrence -- who have a fenced-in backyard and a zippity-doo dog of their own named Moose -- Pippi will run around like crazy, chasing balls, sticks, her companions, whatever. She doesn't care, so long as she's permitted to run at top speed, without interruption, for hours.

But we recently put her stamina to the test when we took her on a hike through the hills of Harriman State Park, near the New York/New Jersey border. In fact, for much of the trek -- which took us five hours to complete -- the hills were more like mountains. At one point we even had to scale a nearly vertical climb. Undaunted, Pippi scrambled right up, with only a little assistance from Anna.

Not only that, but the weather was fairly treacherous. Though the snow had melted off where we live, at this raised elevation it covered the ground, and much of the time we were crunching through ice and water.

It's not the end of the world for most of us when we put on a pound or two over the winter, but for dogs, it's a much bigger deal and definitely detrimental to their health.

Fortunately, there are tons of fun ways to get fit with your favorite furry friend, and in this column, we're looking at some cardio options. If none of these ideas inspire you, think about what it is that you really like to do, then talk to your vet, a dog trainer, or a few puppy-loving pals to come up with ways to involve your four-legged friend in your exercise routine.

Pre-Workout Prep
Before you start on any exercise program with your dog, you need to make sure your pup is ready to perform.

"Be sure to first visit your physician and veterinarian to make sure you are both healthy enough to begin a regular fitness training program. It is important to speak with your doctor and vet about the ideal weight and body shape for you and your dog so you can work towards those goals," recommends Canine Fitness Expert Gail Miller Bisher. She developed the Super Fit Fido Club, based in New York City, to help owners and their dogs shape up, so she knows a thing or two about how to get started.

In addition to what your vet looks for (like arthritis, heart murmur or other potential problems), Bisher has a few other things you'll need to be on top of before you begin.

If you're a runner and an animal lover, chances are good that you've taken your dog running with you. And that's great. In fact, recent studies suggest that dog owners get up to eight times as much exercise as a regular gym-goer. But in order to keep your dog safe and healthy, you need to be informed.

Some breeds are natural runners and obvious choices for running partners. Greyhounds, for example, are particularly fast, while many hunting dogs have amazing endurance. Mid-sized mutts can make fantastic jogging buddies, too, because they aren't prone to some of the purebred hereditary disorders.

Even if your dog is a great runner, don't assume you can just start in with long, hard runs. To learn more about running with dogs, we spoke to Dr. Sarah Marzke of Topaz Veterinary Clinic in Arizona, who is an avid runner and loves nothing more than heading out for a long run with her five-year-old black Lab, Storm.