Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Get a dog, and you’ll be forced to exercise at least twice a day. You will have a running partner who is always willing to go with you. You will have a foolproof reason to get your butt out the door. You’ll even feel a little safer with the dog with you.

Yeah… it didn’t quite work out like that for me…

We walked into Petsmart for fish food and came out with Sid, our dog. Mike had wanted a dog for a long time and I thought he would be a great running partner. He looked like he would be big enough to be threatening, friendly enough to be trusted and energetic enough to give me a good workout.

Instead, he was big enough to pull me over, friendly enough to jump on every passerby, and energetic enough to pull me on my bike at over 12 mph for miles and miles without slowing down. He is the worst running partner, ever.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t love him. I think he’s the best dog in the world and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. He’s just not the running partner that I thought that he would be. I let him out the back door every morning to do his business. I take him to the doggie park to smell the smells and get his wiggles out. I run on the treadmill and he takes a nap next to it, waiting to play tug-of-war.

Choosing a pet is a responsibility that lasts for the life of the pet. A dog isn’t going to force you to exercise. If you are dedicated to working out, you will be out that door every morning whether you have a dog or not. If you are struggling, a dog isn’t going to help you with that. He’ll just be a guilty and whining reminder of one of those things that you “should” do. Choose a pet because you need companionship, not because you need a personal trainer.

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