Into Place

Sometimes, things just work out.

It's not often, and God knows, it's usually not for those big, important things that make a lot of money. Those things take long hours and dedication. But sometimes, the little things work out so well, it's like they were meant to be.

With the recent addition of our second dog, we've found several similarities and differences as compared to the first one. Similarities include love of treats and playing, differences include willingness to listen and not to hide my shoes in various locations around the house. One of the big changes, though, is in how each reacts to exercise. The first really enjoys leaving the house, but upon recognition of running, suddenly has somewhere else she'd rather be. Eventually, once she's moving, she's great, and at the end, she lays on the coldest surface she can find for as long as she's allowed.

New Dog, however, is a perfect little running buddy. He trots along right beside, ignoring pretty much everything around him, and stays in perfect unison. The real problem here is when we get home. Instead of spending his energy, running seems only to amplify it. First Dog would get what we called the zoomies from time to time, but they only lasted a moment or two. New Dog's energy knows no bounds, and when I'm done with the run, he's just getting started. In the interest of saving all the fragile items in our home, we're limiting his running time.

My work day today had one of those endings, so I was glad to have saved my miles for the evening. At the wife's suggestion, I suited up First Dog, and figured we'd give it a try, with a new twist. Instead of holding the leash, I wrapped it around my waist and cinched it. This decreased the overall amount of leash that I had to worry about, and also freed my hands for running. The surprising side effect was that it suddenly made First Dog a terrific running buddy. She fell right in line, and only pulled a little in the dog-filled corridor to which I inadvertently subjected her. Note to self, no dogs on that route from now on.

The important thing here was just how great the run ended up being. It broke the stress from the day, encouraged me in something that had given me trouble in the past, and just made me feel good all over. Add to that the new toy I got in the mail, and it's been quite the day for the runner in me.

What toy, you ask?

Tell you tomorrow.