Doggy Madness

Sophie and her dog checking out the lake

The end of our run!

Today was a beautiful day for a long run. It was a bit overcast and not too hot and not too cold. B.Emmett was a little disappointed when at mile two I did not take him down on the beach like I usually do on our 4-5 mile runs.

Along our route there was a bunch of doggy mayhem that ensued. First we came upon Max. Max is a small scruffy looking dog and he was playing with another small dog that B and I had met yesterday on the beach. We slowed as we approached so as not to scare them. Max's dad picked him up upon seeing an 85 lb doberman approaching (something that frequently happens to the big B). However, as we started to go by B.Emmett decided to take a peek at Max. Although he did not get too close he apparently set off the "don't mess with me button." Max proceeded to growl and then upon not being released from his dad's arms he bit his dad-ouch!

Doggy mayhem number two occurred near Seaside about eight miles into our run. We were cruising along the path when up ahead we saw a family with two small dogs and a man talking on his cell phone carrying coffee walking two medium size mutts. The family crossed the road when they saw the the other dogs coming toward them. All would have been well except one of the little dogs slipped out of his collar and made a beeline for the other two dogs. We stopped about ten feet from the encounter. One of the children ran after the little dog who was socializing politely with the other dogs. Both sets of dogs were fine and when the child reached his dog he grabbed him around the hips and yanked him back. The small dog yelped and the dad came running over and shoved into the other two dogs and started yelling that they were dangerous dogs and that they hurt his dog. The dogs stood politely while both men got into a heated shouting match exchanging words that were pretty colorful. What bothered me was that the dad never realized that it was his child that caused his dog to yelp in pain. He could not see what had happened from his angle and he automatically assumed that the larger dogs hurt his dog. It escalated so fast between the men based on a total misunderstanding. Eventually the two dogs walked over to B.Emmett as the man with the coffee and cell phone walked them towards me. I just said that I was sorry that there was an incident and started running again. I felt the most sorry for his two dogs. They did nothing wrong and got pushed because of a total misperception of reality. People are so quick to jump to conclusions and can be just so mean.

I wonder how often misperceptions like this occur on larger scales and cause things like wars, abuse and other human insanity. Sigh.

The rest of our run was pleasant. B.Emmett was a bit confused because he usually gets picked up by about mile six but today he ran the whole way. That's my baby, that's my dog-love him!

Dissertation, work & poop!

Pongo, B.Emmett's faithful pal, waiting at the end of the run

The only way to describe the weather this morning is it was perfect. It was not too hot and not too cold. It was the first time in a few weeks that I was able to run in shorts and B's teeth did not chatter before he got warmed up.

The first part of the run was spent thinking about my dissertation work. It seems that as I run I always have to best ideas for organizing my writing. It must be something about the flow of energy throughout my body that eventual allows my brain to flow a little more clearly. Today I thought about how to move the section about PBL from talking about general PBL work to more specific types to the type that I am working on this year. Sprinkled in this section will be the research on all of these things. It always seems so simple when I run but I know that when I try to translate it coherently to paper it will be a beastly task.

The next part of the run after passing Camp Creek I thought of work. After the run I was heading into a meeting about test prep for the college entrance exams (PSAT,SAT, and ACT). These tests are not something that we focus on at our school but they are also a necessary evil when it comes to getting in to college. It becomes a dance for us to continue to push forward with work that we know is meaningful and relevant to the students while playing the "game" that the system requires of us to get them into college.

Finally, my thoughts were of poop. I have reframed my thinking about finding dog poop in the middle of the running path along 30A . Instead of being sad that someone did not clean up after their dog which causes the next person to potentially get poop all over their shoe I now think, "Oh that poor person ran out of bags or a way to pick up their dog's poop." Now as I scoop some other dog's poop I send out peaceful thoughts to the dog's companion thinking things like, "I am so glad that I could help you out today." It makes poop a lot happier experience for me-ha.

B was good today he slowed down a bit at the end of our run to allow us to run side by side. I love my dog!

Pics of the week

B.Emmett loves to relax

Sunday morning at the beach!

We just like to call this picture "evidence" or "busted"

B.Emmett is so cute but so serous

9 mile runs are so much sweeter with a little sugar from Sophie when we are done!

Ran with Dad Part Duex

Okay dad bring it on buddy! Today B.Emmett was up and ready for my hunnie. He toasted my man and he toasted him big time. B.Emmett brought my hunnie back in a body bag and if B could talk he would say, "you will run fast with me dad and you will like it!"

How I love my hunnie and my dog...

Ran with dad

Today's post is brought to you by..."Um mom why did you think I could run five miles at 6:15 pace with dad when you run like 9:30ish pace with me every day?"

Yes, that's right when my hunnie asked about taking B.Emmett for a run I completely was not thinking about the fact that my hunnie once was a collegiate level distance runner for a division one school. I was not thinking about the fact that for the last week I ran every morning on a treadmill in the gym because it was so cold. No, I was not thinking that my poor dog had run so little and not so fast in the past week.

The result of all my not thinking was B.Emmett came home in what runners refer to as a "body bag." My hunnie toasted my poor pup and he has pretty much been asleep on my bed since he got back from the run. He occasionally stirs to groan and I have massaged his whole body but he is going to be a wee bit sore. My hunnie came in to take him for a walk and B.Emmett literally cringed when he saw the leash (probably having flashbacks of the run).

I had planned a nice slow eight mile run with B.Emmett tomorrow. Now I am thinking that I will be running solo in the morning. Sorry big guy!

Thanksgiving 2010

We ran along the beach enjoying the morning as it unfolded in front of us. We ran to Camp Creek and crossed the bridge. It was a very freeing run, relaxed and we were just enjoying each other's company.

There were a lot of fleeting thoughts along the way. Really it was about trying to decide what life has in store for us in the future. I am sending seeking energy out to try and decide on next year. Do we stay? Do we go back? Do we move on?

Not too sure how I feel about any of the options but know that the universe will open up and show me a path eventually.

One thing striking for me is how much I love being around the water. It feeds my soul in a way that I never knew that it needed to be fed. I love running over bridges and hearing the ocean waves crash in the morning.

In general B and I are just content and waiting to see what our next big adventure may be.

The one thing that I know for sure is B's love and devotion to me. Sometimes it borders on unhealthy attachment. Thanks to a great dog trainer I have strategies for making sure that he is not too dependent. He watches me wherever I go. He follows me from room to room. He makes me feel safe and content. If we are out in a crowd he watches me wherever I am. The family joke is watch B's eyes if you want to know where mom is. There is an inner calmness to his presence that immediately soothes my soul. I also like knowing that he would defend me no matter what. He is my rock.

I love my Dog! I am thankful that he is in my life.

Today's Run

Today's run started with some very loud birds chirping, lots of squirrels swishing their tails at us and just a nice peaceful feeling. We didn't rush just relaxed and settled in to a nice pace.

In fact, it seemed like the entire world was relaxing with us. B. Emmett could hardly believe the nerve of the squirrels because they refused to run from him. One actually sat right on the sidewalk eating a nut and twitching it's tail in delight. B. Emmett was so taken aback by this that he did not even bother to try and chase it.

On today's run B.Emmett had the opportunity to be a guard dog as we passed by a gardener with a scary looking rake. Going into guard mode is one of my favorite things he does. Most of the time he is this incredibly goofy lovable dog. However, when we run if he feels even the slightest inkling of possible danger he becomes a fierce protector. It is not so much that he does anything ferocious but rather it is in the subtle way that he changes. 

Today he immediately tensed up and started to track the gardener with his eyes. He placed his large body in between me and the gardener and just stared while we ran by. What fascinates me the most about his behavior is that it is a very fluid motion that just naturally fits into the pattern of our run. He does not make a sudden movement but rather just glides along and changes his demeanor as if to say to the thing he views as a potential threat " don't even bother trying because I will not let you near her."

On today's run we had the opportunity to be grateful for the things that we often take for granted. We are healthy enough to run four miles together, we are safe and we are happy.

Today's run was all about just the enjoyment of being outside on a beautiful day with each other. I love my dog.